Vincent Van Gogh once told his brother Theo, that whenever he saw a blank canvas staring him in the face, he just slapped some paint on it.

How and where does one begin when meeting up with the bare canvas (or score sheet or manuscript)? And then once underway, what holds us to the promise we made when we started out? What keeps us returning again and again to try and make sense (or not) of what is emerging?

Join me as I mud-wrestle with these and many other questions in a dynamic and captivating slide show guaranteed to throw some light on the matter. Starting with the dreaded blank canvas and meandering through all the twists and turns as paintings present themselves, it’s a rare and intimate glimpse into the creative process. Everything is laid bare for the audience; no roadmaps, no sketches, no net. Share in the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat. Observe the two halves of my brain as they dance together like Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers (or something like that). Watch as paintings I thought were finished proved to have entirely other plans for me. It’s like being a fly on the studio wall without the paint on your pants.

what they are saying:
“Spellbinding…Norgate’s courage to do things over and start again is inspiring. She is so open about her journey as an artist and as a human being that you will come away feeling emboldened by her courage.” Shelagh Rogers, Canadian radio broadcaster currently host of CBC Radio One’s “The Last Chapter”

“Fascinating and beautiful, unsentimental and tremendously brave.” Hilary Peach, writer, audio poet, recording artist, arts activist, and founder/Artistic Director of the Poetry Gabriola Festival

“Norgate opens an entertaining window on the creative process that is informative, funny and fascinating for anyone wanting to learn what really lies underneath the surface of art – and artists.” Katherine Gordon, author and free-lance journalist

“Norgate’s Blank Canvas made we want to race to the studio! Sheila’s honest and generous account of her creative process will energize and motivate you.” Grant Leier, Canadian artis

See the Upcoming page for details of my next showing of Blank Canvas.

where I have been:
Woodlands Secondary School, Nanaimo BC, November 2011
Vancouver Island School of Art, Victoria BC, November 2010
St. James Community Square, Vancouver BC, May 2010
Nanaimo Art Gallery, Nanaimo BC, October 2009
The Roxy Theatre, Gabriola BC May 2009 and July 2009