.jpg)
About Sheila
Starting from childhood, when her grade school classmates complimented her detailed and accurate drawings of horses and grasshoppers, Sheila Manning has always embraced her artistic spirit and dreamt of becoming a painter.
After graduating from Capilano College’s Graphic Design Program, Sheila began a 30-year successful career, most significantly at CBC, where she received numerous Gold, Silver and Bronze awards from the Broadcast Designers Association for her news graphics and moving title designs. After careful consideration, Sheila chose to leave CBC to work from home as an illustrator while raising her family. Her corporate clients included BC Hydro, BC Gas, the GVRD, and McDonald’s, among many others. During this time, Sheila also returned to Capilano College, now Capilano University, to work as an instructor in the IDEA program (Illustration, Design, Elements and Applications) as well as teaching illustration and drawing at Emily Carr University of Art + Design. Currently, Sheila works in the film industry, and during hiatus, she is realizing her dream to be a painter, working primarily in acrylics to capture the gorgeous BC landscapes that surround her.
Artist's Statement
One of the best things about living in British Columbia is experiencing the amazing natural beauty everywhere around me. My fascination with the light that filters through the dense forest canopy and ignites the delicate moss and tangled undergrowth of the BC forests, fires up my imagination and has become my favourite subject for my artwork. As I walk along the treed trails and riverbanks, I take numerous photos of whatever catches my attention, trying to capture all the fascinating things I see. I am attracted to the abstract shapes, textures and contrasts within each image, I layer them onto my canvas until I have the framework for my painting outlined. Keeping my brushstrokes fresh and lively, the vitality of the forest gradually emerges. My hope is that the viewer (anyone viewing my artwork) experiences the sense that they have been transported into the deep forest environment, and are now enveloped in the calming, grounding magic within.