Graeme Shaw

Graeme Shaw began his artistic training under the tutelage of his artist mother. To complement her training, he received instruction from numerous professional artists.

During his university days he worked as an illustrator for the federal government, illustrating various research publications in his semesters off. Immediately after university, he began to seek out venues for his paintings. Robert Genn saw his work and invited him to join a gallery in Vancouver. There and elsewhere, Graeme’s work was successful but he became restless.

In 1979 he put his brushes down and moved to a small settlement along Great Slave Lake. There he worked as a school teacher to Dene children. After six years of teaching and exploring the north, Graeme returned to art as a career. His paintings were now filled with northern imagery. The response to a solo show he held in Yellowknife at that time was staggering, and the show became an annual event.

Although he wanted to stay in the Arctic, he moved to Vancouver Island for family reasons and continued a full-time art career there. His work has been well-received ever since and now can be found in numerous private, corporate and government collections across Canada and internationally.

Though his artistic influences have been many, he credits Robert Genn for his friendship and mentorship throughout his career.

Graeme’s work employs a variety of mediums and runs a wide gamut of subject matter. Landscapes from the Arctic, the Rockies, and the west coast are favourites.

He lives with his wife in Nanaimo on Vancouver Island.