Inglis Sheldon-Williams

Early Saskatchewan Artist

Bio:

Inglis Sheldon Williams was born on December 25, 1870 in Hampshire, England. His father was a landscape painter. He is known as one of the early artists in Saskatchewan. In 1887 Sheldon-Williams came to Canada for the first time.After homesteading at Cannington Manor in southeastern Saskatchewan for a number of years, he returned to England in 1891 to study art. He studied London's Slade School of Art from 1896 to 1898. Before his marriage in 1904, he journeyed throughout India, Europe and South Africa. There he created a number of watercolour paintings that were exhibited in London periodicals. He was able to showcase his work at various exhibitions throughout London and Europe, one of which was the Royal Academy in London. In 1913 he returned to Saskatchewan with an impressive track record under his belt. His style of work was derived from nineteenth-century Romanticism. The pieces lean towards the story of a painting. He was able to portray the vastness of the prairies in his work. In October of 1918 he went to Europe as an official Canadian war artist. Following this were a few years consisting of him exhibiting his work throughout England and Canada. He died on November 20, 1940 in Hampstead, London.