Shirley Wiitasalo facts for kids

Shirley Wiitasalo (born in 1949) is a Canadian painter. She is known for her unique abstract art. Her paintings often feature shapes and lines inspired by city life. In 2011, she received a very important award, the Governor General's Awards in Visual and Media Arts.

About Shirley Wiitasalo

Shirley Wiitasalo was born in Toronto in 1949. She still lives and works there today. She studied art at the Ontario College of Art from 1967 to 1968.

Her Career and Awards

Shirley Wiitasalo has been a painter for many years. From 1974 to 1991, her art was shown by the Carmen Lamanna Gallery. Since 1993, the Susan Hobbs Gallery in Toronto has shown her work.

In 1986, she won the Victor Martyn Lynch-Staunton Award. This award comes from the Canada Council, which supports artists. Later, in 1998, she won The Gershon Iskowitz Prize. This prize included $50,000 and a special art show just for her at the Art Gallery of Ontario.

Artist Ian Carr-Harris once said that Shirley Wiitasalo has changed painting over her 30-year career. Her artwork is known for its "lush washes of colour." This means she uses many layers of rich colors. She also uses "ethereal swipes of obscuring neutrals," which are soft, light colors that can hide parts of the painting.

How She Creates Art

Shirley Wiitasalo sometimes uses special materials in her art. For example, in her 1981 painting called Interior, she used something called photographic emulsion. This is a liquid that can hold images. She painted it onto a canvas, then projected an image onto it. She finished the painting with Bellini oils, which are a type of paint.

Major Art Shows

Shirley Wiitasalo's art has been shown in many places. She has had exhibitions across Canada. Her work has been seen in museums, art centers, and galleries.

Notable Exhibitions in Canada

In 2000, she had a solo exhibition at The Power Plant in Toronto. This means only her art was on display. She was also part of a show called Some Canadian Women Artists. This exhibition was put together by the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa.

International Art Shows

Shirley Wiitasalo's art has also been shown around the world. She has had exhibitions in Switzerland at Kunsthalle Bern (1993). Her work was also shown in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, at Galerie Paul Andriesse (1993). In 1999, she had a show at GreeneNaftali in New York.

In 1981, the National Gallery of Canada organized a show called 20th Century Canadian Painting. This exhibition traveled to Japan. It was shown at The National Museum of Art in Tokyo, the Hokkaido Museum of Modern Art in Sapporo, and the Oita Prefectural Art Centre in Oita City.