Sheila Maki

Sheila Maki was a multifaceted artist who explored printmaking, drawing, painting and more. Maki was born in Sudbury, Ontario in 1932 and raised in North Bay, before moving to Toronto in 1969 with her family. Art was her passion and became her vocation. As her work evolved she enjoyed the challenge of creating original prints through varied processes such as etching and silk-screening. Her art was well received and recognized as being unique in concept as she followed her own path. Sheila moved her studio to Unionville (Markham) in the Greater Toronto Area in 1980. Maki was a member of the Society of Etchers & Engravers, Society of Canadian Artists, Ontario Society of Artists, Print Council of Canada and The Heliconian Club. She participated in many juried shows and over 60 solo exhibits. Her work is now in hundreds of private and public collections around the world. She has exhibited her work in many countries in Europe and Asia as well as the US and Canada, including the World Print Show in California and the Pratt Institute in New York, among others. “’The feeling of freedom I have in the studio is similar to the feeling I have on a horse or in an open boat on the water. It has the same quality as fresh air to me.” That’s Sheila Maki, describing the freedom which is essential to her work. For her, art comes from art, She develops each piece as a springboard to the next. Her work has evolved in a consistent manner from printmaking, painting and drawing (all media she uses)” - Joan Murray (”Spirit of Freedom: Original Prints and Mixed Media Works by Sheila Maki”, The Robert McLaughlin Gallery, Civic Centre, Oshawa, Ontario, 1994, page 21)