Sharon Quirke is committed to exploring the lands and waters of her vast Canadian home from the Pacific to the Arctic to the Atlantic. Her work is inspired by nature as it interfaces with our daily lives.

In bold and dramatic style, Sharon Quirke’s latest work captures the spirit of rugged adventure in the High Arctic. Workboats tilt on the shore of the Beaufort Sea, unique pingos populate the horizon in the village of “Tuk”, and polar bear skins drape to dry on lines in the Arctic sun. Explore the North with Sharon by browsing her latest series, “High Arctic 2019” and “Land of the Dene 2018”. Watch for her “Aurora 2020” series coming soon!

Across Canada, from Toronto to Yellowknife to Vancouver, Sharon’s vibrant work is represented. She has shown in New York City’s Chelsea District to commemorate the 9/11; she has shown in the Northwest Territories to celebrate the Millenium and the Birth of Nunavut; she has shown at the Great Northern Arts Festival as an invited Canadian “southerner”. Her paintings have been collected by numerous private and corporate clients in Canada and the USA. Locally, work is installed in the Fairmont Waterfront, Triovest Realty, BC College of Physicians and Surgeons, False Creek’s 1000 Beach, Boffo Development Ltd, Houle Electric, UBC’s Purdy and Koerner Pavilions, DBM Canada and a variety of exclusive BC resorts and residences, including Sonora Island’s exclusive Sea Lion Resort.

Sharon’s Vancouver gallery, Artworks, is her home base, and continues to host extraordinary promotions and shows. Recent reviews have been published by Preview, Artway.eu, North Shore News, Island Arts Magazine and the Celtic Connection.

Sharon is actively involved in community art projects, including Vancouver street parties and art walks, art festivals, and North Van Arts initiatives. She founded the Pissarro School of Art and has enjoyed the challenges and joys of teaching many students of all ages for more than forty years.

Sharon Quirke was born in Vancouver, grew up on the Canadian north coast in Prince Rupert and on the American east coast in New York City. After completing a BA at UBC and Teacher’s Certificate at SFU, she taught in BC’s Okanagan Valley. She then studied in Montreal with artists Irene Whittome, Guido Molinari and Charles Gagnon. She completed an MA in Art Education while teaching at Concordia University.  In the early 80’s she returned to Vancouver’s Lower Mainland and began her painting career. West Vancouver had been her home since 1984. She and her husband have raised three sons on the North Shore. The natural and cultural backdrop of the mountains and community have served as inspiration for her painting and teaching; recent travels in Canada have been the source of wonder and revelation.

June 2023

The website is dedicated to my mother, Florence (“Shorts”) Jeanette Thompson Arnold, who believed in art in all of its forms, and my father, Dr “Bill” Arnold, who had an adventurous and hardy soul and cheered us on to go wherever our minds and imaginations took us.

I am thankful for a wonderful family and village of friends and colleagues. My husband and three boys add humour and perspective to each day. Thank-you to master craftsman, Ian Thomson, who builds my stretchers from locally sourced cedars collected from the Sunshine Coast. Thank-you to Deanna and my home gallery, Artworks, for their support here in Vancouver, and numerous other galleries across Canada for their support over the years. Finally, “Brava” to Pamela Rounis for her expertise and time in putting this website together.