Joan Sharrock

British/Canadian born 20th Century

Joan Sharrock is a painter of animals and birds using the traditional medium of oil paint on linen canvas. Many thin layers of paint and fine brush strokes create the depth and detail that characterises her paintings. Equal precision and attention is given to her smaller works on paper, which are created with watercolour-pencil.



The subjects for her artwork are varied and numerous. She has a preference for the larger members of the cat family such as leopards and cheetahs and especially tigers which are her favourite animals to paint. In addition Joan also paints a wide variety of African wildlife including zebras and elephants and has recently turned to painting colourful tropical birds such as toucans, parrots and cranes. As if this was not enough variety she also has ongoing series of watercolour-pencil drawings; shells, cats, and butterflies, each series framed in her own unique way.

An early interest in photography resulted in Joan becoming proficient in taking photographs of animals in the wild. This has proved an asset as the reference material needed for her paintings is gathered on her frequent trips to wilderness areas and national parks worldwide. Since her first safari to Kenya in 1976 she has returned to Africa many times and particularly likes Etosha national park in Namibia. Other favourite locations for wildlife observation are Chitwan national park in Nepal and the Peruvian Amazon. In North America Yellowstone, the Sonoran desert, the Florida swamps and Assiniboine provincial park have also been explored.



Joan showed a keen interest in drawing at a very early age and painting was her main pastime as a child. Eventually, after two other careers, Joan decided to paint full time and has exhibited and sold her work since 1983. Her paintings are to be found in collections throughout North America as well as Switzerland, Germany, France and England. Most notably her paintings have appeared in both the “Birds in Art” and the “Wildlife: The Artist’s View” exhibitions at the renowned Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum in Wausau, Wisconsin, USA. In addition her paintings are regularly sold at the Wildlife Art Auctions at Christie’s in London, England.



Joan Sharrock was born in Southport, Lancashire and grew up on a small farm in the northwest of England. She was educated at the Ormskirk Grammar School and at the Liverpool College of Commerce. For a time she lived and worked in London before emigrating to Canada where she now makes her home.