Creative Realism

A creative take on realism, which is generally the attempt to represent subject matter truthfully, without artificiality and avoiding speculative fiction and supernatural elements.

  • Growing Wild (Maui + Chicago + Jasper National Park + Kootenay National Park)

    Visitors were encouraged to watch and converse with Shackleton as she created the mural over a two week period. Following the indoor presentation, and in partnership with the AGN, the Town of Cobourg, Downtown Cobourg BIA, Lakefront Utility Services, and a local landlord, the artwork was installed on an exterior wall in the downtown core.

    In this piece, urban and wild environments collide in search of growth. Shackleton combines melting glaciers, burnt trees and flooded streets to ask pressing questions about our future. How will we adapt and grow in the face of rising temperatures and water levels? What is truly at stake as our climate changes–the planet or humanity?

  • Ours to Tell

    A week spent with the art class of Royal Crown School inspiring some amazing students to create change, and inspire others. The three people are to represent the past (Harriet Tubman), the present (Obama) and the future (RCS Student’s), with a mirror in the center to show that it doesn’t take someone historic or famous to create change. Look in the mirror, YOU are the future of the black community!

  • Taste of Punjab

    While creating this mural, I felt like I am back in my homeland, as I painted all the Punjabi Cultural things like old house scene, with people celebrating the life with Bhangra. Some scenic beauty of open green fields, cultural attire and of course the nature around. It was a beautiful experience, working at this restaurant, do visit there and enjoy the vibe and the food.

  • Flaming Car

    This mural is a commissioned artwork in Scarborough, It has been created in a car wash, this type of design was specifically asked by the owner and looks amazing on the big wall, inside the garage.

  • Vibrant Milton

    The Downtown Milton Business Improvement Area is dedicated to building a resilient and vibrant downtown community with welcoming spaces for everyone to enjoy. In 2022, we worked with Arts Milton, STEPS Public Art, a local property owner, business owners, residents and supporters to install a large new mural downtown. The project received funding from the Government of Canada through the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario)’s Canada Community Revitalization Fund (CCRF). The mural was installed in the Spice o’ Life Parkette near the intersection of Main St. E. and Charles St. It was painted in the fall 2022 and took place in conjunction with Milton Culture Days presented by Arts Milton. The mural was unveiled in November 2022.

  • Empowered Energy

    My digital artwork piece entitled “Empowered Energy” was created specifically for the Exclusively Inclusive Art Project, commissioned and organized by ArtsMilton.

    “Empowered Energy” is meant to convey the power of authenticity; an awareness of self.

    *Digital artwork was reproduced as a vinyl wrap for this particular traffic signal box.

  • Urban Harmony

    Urban Harmony is the sister mural of Natural Harmony at the Aurora Charter School in Edmonton, Alberta. Teachers, parents, and myself, as the mural artist wanted to strike the imagination of students using technology, architecture, fantasy, and nature inspired by the southern hemisphere, where the sky has Aurora Australis, not Aurora Borealis (the school’s name sake).

  • Under the Crofton Sea

    This whimsical little ocean themed painting for the Osborne Bay Pub was the first mural in Crofton, BC. The mural is composed of a wave washing over an underwater ocean scene where a giant Pacific octopus is playing a red piano, as musical notes curve out of piano into the sky.

  • Shop Local Hamilton

    The theme of the mural is meant to highlight the city of Hamilton, the escarpment and views of the city, and the beloved Hamilton Ticats CFL team. Shopping locally and supporting local businesses has always been an important part of our mission, and so to commemorate that, we’re sponsoring a mural in Hamilton, Ontario near where FurnacePrices.ca was originally conceived and founded.

  • Zec Restigo

    This mural was commissioned by the board of the Zec Restigo in Kipawa Quebec. The mural was created to depict the multitude of lakes and wildlife in the region. The surface was a storage container and the commission was to cover both the front and side of the container , a total area of 224 sq feet.

  • Chilliwack’s Freshwater Wealth

    “Chilliwack’s Freshwater Wealth” shows a bright example of a town with an abundance of natural substance in it’s rivers, lakes, and waterways. The purpose of this mural for the City of Chilliwack is to emphasize local residents and their connection to the water and nature surrounding them. The 16 by 40 foot artwork is painted in acrylic on aluminum composite panels and was installed in March of 2022.

  • 50 Years and Counting

    Empire Collision celebrated their 50th anniversary with this mural showing highlights from the last 50 years of Edmonton. The small business wanted to give back to Edmonton by showcasing a mural about the city. The mural unveiling served as a 50th anniversary commemoration event during which a 1964 mustang was donated to the Kid’s Cottage charity with a raffle.

  • Hope

    The Giants of Edmonton Mural Program celebrated Hope Hunter and the Boyle Street Community Services with this mural commission. The Boyle Street charity works to see all people grow healthier through involvement in strong, accepting and respectful communities. Hope is a mural inspired and influenced by First Nations people in Edmonton, and promotes the cultural aspects of inclusion, diversity, and putting people first.

  • Natural Harmony

    Aurora Charter School commissioned this stairwell mural to inspire students before class. It was designed to have viewers feel elated as they move up to the sky from the bottom of the stairs, and adventurous as they dive into the ocean descending the stairs.
    As the namesake of School, the aurora borealis or northern lights illuminate the entire mural, starting with a boreal forest, moving to a steamy jungle and finally a coral reef. It was important to subtly show people interacting with nature as I wanted to encourage students to experience the wilds. Inspiring youth with nature, especially the ocean, is the meaning of life for me as an artist. Fantasy elements were used to further encourage imaginations.

  • Starlight

    Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) “3rd Annual Festival Street” Live Mural Painting “Starlight” in response to the theme “Toronto is the Star”, as part of #StARTatTIFF “Art Walk” Activation, commissioned by Surface Art, StreetARToronto, TIFF, Toronto

  • Perpetual Freedom II

    Mural Facilitator and Muralist for the 3rd Annual Mural on Baldwin Street, in response to the theme “The Future without Oppression”, Kensington Market, Facilitated by StreetARToronto, Friends of Kensington Market [Facilitators: Serena Purdy, Curtia Wright & Jai Smith], Toronto.

  • Summer Evenings

    The designs are themed around the natural beauty of the area (Rouge National Park), the wildlife that inhabits it and childhood nostalgia; being out late into the summer evenings enjoying the weather and summer activities with friends. The tall grasses are a throwback to the meadows. The murals were painted with outdoor exterior acrylic paint for Street Art Toronto as part of their concrete barrier art program.