Ian Sheldon

Statement
I have had images of Alberta engrained in my mind, as an Albertan for so long abroad. When I returned to this province after many years, the landscapes evoked a strong sense of place and belonging. I am part of this land, as this land is part of me. Only in the prairies do I feel connected and complete. The landscapes I depict come from the heart, mind and real place. My spirit lives and seeks refuge in these landscapes.

I am most inspired during a summer storm. The energy I derive from standing in the midst of a tornado-bearing storm instils a vigour that flies out of me through the paintbrushes. I feel at one with the elements in that moment. When the sky apparently fuses with land during a torrential downpour, I feel like the heavens are reaching down for a brief moment and instilling life into the arid plains. It is these events in the vast prairie that continue to drive me, consuming my summer days as I listen for storm warnings and study the radar for an approaching downpour.

Recently I have started to ponder the significance of landscape, and the ability to transfer the sense of place and belonging to landscapes that share similar physical components. It has become clear that the flat line of the horizon allows my spirit to flow freely as an artist. As a result of this freedom, I have become drawn to experiences that involve vast open spaces - in deserts, in the arid altoplano of Patagonia, and in the endless open ocean of the Atlantic.

It is in the vast open spaces of the natural world where I find the greatest comfort and hope.

Bright Horizon Oil on Canvas 36 x 36 inches

Calm Oil on Canvas 48 x 36 inches

Winter Evening Oil on Canvas 36 x 36 inches

Biography
Ian Sheldon is a celebrated artist and illustrator, with galleries in England, the United States and Canada, and dozens of books featuring his work. Very much a citizen of the world, Sheldon has lived in South Africa, Singapore and England. He makes his home in Canada where his reputation as a successful Western artist continues to grow. Drawing on inspirations from his place of birth on the edge of the prairies in Canada in 1971, and his time spent in Europe, his paintings are a celebration of his sense of place and spirituality.

While studying for his first degree (BA Hons) at Cambridge University, England, Sheldon began to paint the historical architecture of the city. Since 1994 galleries have exhibited this work, and in 1998, Cambridge Contemporary Art, the city's leading commercial gallery, accepted his watercolours. He makes frequent trips to Britain and France to pursue his architectural passion.

A self-taught artist, Sheldon believes that his true understanding of artistic self-expression will come best through his own experimentation. Sheldon holds degrees from Cambridge University and the University of Alberta. His studies in the natural sciences are reflected in some of his subject choices, but the learning experience has more importantly taught him about the significant influences in his life. In addition to the architectural watercolours, Sheldon has directed his interests to the Western Canadian wilderness. This has successfully combined his passion for the arts with his academic interest in the natural world, and his spiritual place within it. These striking landscapes have been well received in Canada and overseas, earning him First Prize for Landscapes at the Alberta 2000 Winter Games Art Exposition and recognition on a national level in 2004 with the inclusion of his biography in the Canadian Who's Who. As an extension of the philosophical basis for his landscapes, Sheldon has also turned to exploring people's connections to the land through the rural architectural landscape. His atmospheric watercolours of decaying buildings have brought both television and magazine attention, and were acquired by the Alberta Foundation for the Arts in a juried acquisition of art.

Sheldon is also an accomplished writer and illustrator with many publications through Lone Pine Publishing. His nature guides for North America now grace bookshelves across the continent. One of his recent successes is Bugs of Alberta, a provincial non-fiction bestseller authored by John Acorn. Many more books featuring Sheldon's life-like illustrations are slated for the press. Other ventures include a guide for Ecuador, a voluntary project aiming to increase conservation awareness in Ecuador.

Sand Bar Slope Oil on Canvas 24 x 48 inches

Stubble Square Oil on Canvas 36 x 36 inches

Golden Fields Oil on Canvas 48 x 24 inches	Tall Evening Canola SOLD Oil on Canvas 48 x 24 inches