Katrina Schaman is a Canadian painter from Toronto, Ontario. Born in Kitchener in 1982, Katrina has always felt a great desire to create. She received her Bachelor of Fine Arts Honours from Queen's University and currently works from a private studio in Toronto. ​
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Focusing on Canadian scenes and animals, Katrina’s work celebrates the deep underlying relationship between abstract and real forms. She has set out to create work that balances the free movement and simplicity of a graphite drawing with the rich colour and complexities of paint. Katrina’s favourite part of her process is the extra effort she puts into the final accents and details on her pieces —  these little intricacies perfectly complete each piece and add to the feeling of whimsy and magic for the viewer.

Katrina describes her unique mixed media style as 'Canadian art with a whimsical twist'.​ Drawing inspiration from classic folk art as well as the traditional Canadian landscape artists, Katrina pays homage to the past while mixing in her own modern flare. Seeing her process as ever-evolving, Katrina is always experimenting with new ideas and techniques within her overarching style and she strives to continually challenge herself as an artist.

Snapshots of Canadian Whimsy.

Katrina sees her work as whimsical snapshots taken from the same imagined Canadian landscape.

Seeing her work as little snapshots of magic and whimsy taken from the same imagined Canadian landscape, Katrina paints her own embellished memories of nature — her feelings and imaginings — instead of painting the reality of what is actually seen. She loves to immerse herself and her viewers in this world, often displaying her paintings in mosaic style formations to amplify the storytelling and folklore aspects of her work. 

By having various 'sub-styles' within her overarching style, Katrina weaves together a rich narrative and shows that an artist’s work does not need to be one thing and say one thing to have meaning  — a fuller story can be told than if all the pieces had the same look and feel. As is the case with most aspects of our lives, surrounding ourselves in variety and celebrating differences helps us to live deeper and richer existences. Katrina wants her art to vary and shift in the same way that people are multifaceted, many-sided, and ever-changing. Most importantly, she feels that artwork does not have to hold the same or even similar meaning for each viewer. Instead, Katrina allows her viewers’ own unique imaginations and emotions to thrive along with hers, with everyone coming from varying perspectives and distinct experiences, each taking away something different from the work.​

Katrina strives to create work that will change and grow for a viewer. Whether it's the first or hundredth time they see a painting, the artist hopes that people will continue discovering new forms, feelings and ideas within her work. It warms Katrina's heart when her pieces go off to a new forever-home and the magic and positivity of her imagined landscape spreads throughout our real world.

Work that changes and grows for the viewer.

Katrina hopes that people will continue discovering new forms, feelings and ideas within her work.

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