Glen Scrimshaw Sold at Auction Prices

b. 1959 -

The energy of a powerful thunderstorm, the majesty of the dancing aurora borealis, the vibrant colors of a northern sunset; Glen Scrimshaw's ability to capture these images on canvas has earned him a following world wide!

Glen Scrimshaw, a Saskatchewan artist, has struck a balance between his love of nature and passion for art. His paintings of nature and wildlife scenes are collected by people the world over.

Glen is a self-taught artist whose bold use of color and keen eye for detail has made his work distinctively unique. This style and broad subject matter has resulted in a following of collectors worldwide.

Born in Big River, Saskatchewan, Glen was instilled with a reverence for the serene beauty of the North at an early age. At 12, he first started oil painting and has continued in various mediums since then. In his early 20s, he moved even further north to Reindeer Lake and a place called Co-op Point, where he managed a Co-op store for several years. The store wasn't open that many hours during the day in the long winter months, so Glen painted more and more. At first he liked to do portraits, but then he was drawn to sunrises, sunsets and animals. In 1985, he displayed some of his paintings in the store, and people bought them faster than he could paint them. Back then he sold his works for $100 each and soon he had commissioned orders pouring in. It was then that he decided to give up his career as a store manager and pursue his dream of making a living as an artist.

He set up his first art gallery in La Ronge in 1987. Word spread as Glen started showing his work in Saskatchewan galleries and selling it to retail stores.

Glen moved to Duck Lake in 1991 after being invited by the community to open a gallery. Spending countless days per year painting in a house with inadequate light, he longed for an alternative work space. He knew that an artist needed north light, with no shadows or light changes in order to see the drawing board properly. So he purchased some land near Duck Lake, where he has built a house from a 1920s-era church. He calls this place his sanctuary, where he has nature right at his doorstep - a water view complete with nesting geese, ducks and many other forms of wildlife.

2017 marks the 31st year since Glen Scrimshaw took the bold step of leaving the comforts of a well-paying job in retail management to follow his dream of being an artist. Because of this bold step taken 31 years ago, we have all been blessed with the beauty of many wonderful masterpieces that Glen has created.

Glen has given us so much more than just the visual enjoyment of all of his wonderful paintings, Glen has given hope and dreams to students in his speaking tours to schools. He has given his leadership in municipal government, and his resourcefulness and organizational skills as a volunteer on countless committees and groups. But one of Glen's greatest gifts, however, is his unyielding generosity. One of the most satisfying realizations about the level of Glen's success has been the ability to help with many worthwhile causes.

In Glen’s 31 year art career he has enjoyed countless awards and recognitions. Some include: ABEX Award - Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce, ?SABEX Award - Saskatoon Chamber of Commerce and ?Tourism Award – Saskatchewan Tourism . Glen is also a designated artist for the Royal Canadian Mint and regularly submits designs for collector coins.

Glen and his wife Zorka support countless charities and his work is found at fundraisers across Canada. They support Global Concerns to local sports teams, school trips, family emergencies and on and on. Over the years of his career he has helped raise millions of dollars through the donations of his artwork!

The Scrimshaw’s love to give back and challenges each and every one of us to do the same. As Glen and Zorka put it, “Everyone has something they can do to help”! Wouldn’t it be a wonderful world if everyone pitched in to help their neighbor, community or the world?

In the past few years Glen has suffered with intense back pain and undergone a few operations. Because of this he has slowed down considerably which includes him selling his Duck Lake Gallery which is now a RCMP museum/gift store as well as closing his Saskatoon Retail Store in 2016. Glen’s work can be found at outlets throughout Saskatchewan which are listed on his website.

Glen and his wife Zorka now reside near of Duck Lake on their acreage and Glen continues to paint but is only able to produce a couple larger pieces per year.