Jean Sheppard

- Lino-Block Prints: Florals, Landscapes, Cats, Cows

Relief Prints: the relief category, the oldest method of printing, includes woodcut, wood engraving, linocut, and claycut. The major difference between a woodcut and a wood engraving is that the block used for a woodcut is cut from the length of a tree. Linoleum, clay, the newer material, lucite or other hard substances are used in addition to wood.
(Roed Cochran, Bente. Prints, A Primer for the Purchaser. Edmonton, AB: Alberta Culture Visual Arts, 1980)

Cats and Cows 

Florals: Wildflowers and Irises

Landscapes

Artist’s Statement

The land has a powerful grip on Canadians. It defines us and shapes us. It has incredible beauty and for centuries landscape painters have attempted to capture this beauty on paper or canvas. I have lived and travelled in many parts of Canada, but I do not think there is any other part of the country that possesses the scenic variety of the small corner of southwestern Alberta where I now live. For the last ten years my painting has concentrated mainly on the prairies and foothills of this area. For this exhibition I have moved into the mountains and valleys in and around Waterton Lakes National Park.

Colour is what drives me, impels me to try to put an image on paper.  When I come across a scene that inspires me it is usually the colour that has attracted me. In attempting to capture these images I do not literally recreate the scene but rather, using the pure colour of soft pastels, I modify, exaggerate, and alter to emphasize and suggest certain elements of the scene. The resulting painting will be an impression of the actual scene. In Waterton Lakes National Park, where “the prairies meet the mountains”, there are many opportunities to portray the bright green and gold of the prairies and aspen forests that I have enjoyed doing in the past. Moving into the mountains changed my palette to the dark greens, blues and purples of the evergreen forests and the mountains. 

I use soft pastels almost exclusively for my work. There is no other medium that provides the intensity and richness of colour that I like. 

Biography

Jean Sheppard paints what is around her. And, what is around her is an incredible variety of scenery ranging from stunning mountain views to subtle prairie scenes. But, for Jean even more important, than the variety in scenery, is the palette of colours the scenes present. No matter how many times she travels from Pincher Creek to her in the Rocky Mountain foothills the view and the colours are different, from the soft wintry washes of yellow, blue and brown to the brilliant, almost unreal greens, blues and purples of spring. This scenery is a constant source of inspiration for anyone interested in landscape painting and it would take several lifetimes to capture the total range and mood of the scenery in this part of the world.

In the mid-1960’s, Jean started painting in oils and a little with watercolors. This was done as a hobby and without instruction. In the early seventies, she took a number of non-degree classes in pottery at the University of Regina and a glaze class at the Vancouver College of Art. After moving to Alberta, she set up a studio beside her house and worked as a professional potter. In the fall of 1992 Jean began working with soft pastels.  She was quickly hooked – no stretching paper, no waiting for paint to dry. She could set up quickly, in limited space.  In 1998, after 25 years, Jean retired from making pottery and has concentrated on pastels and, occasionally, lino block printing.  Although she has painted everything from landscapes to still life, and florals to portraits, it is landscapes and florals that Jean enjoys doing the most.

Jean was born, raised and educated in Ottawa, Ontario and received a B.Sc (Hon.) in Biology from Carleton University in 1963. After obtaining a M.Sc. in Biology from the University of Saskatchewan in 1968, Jean worked for about five years in the Biology Department of the University of Regina. In 1977 her husband Dave, retired from teaching at the University of Regina, so Jean and Dave, with their three-year-old daughter Kathy, moved to the foothills of southern Alberta. They built a log home and have lived there ever since.

Jean is a member of the Pastel Society of Canada (PSC).