Ontario artist Shane Norrie is an established potter and a widely shown painter. His paintings often mirror the organic, textured look of his pottery. He continually experiments, drawing on travel experiences and familiar landscapes while leaning toward abstraction.
His work has appeared in publications like Canadian House & Home, Style at Home, and Marie Claire Maison Italia, and on TV shows including HGTV's Income Property, Disaster DIY, Pure Design, CityLine, The Marilyn Denis Show, Canada AM, Netflix series SEE, and Crave’s BOSTON BLUE.
Norrie has exhibited widely and earned strong recognition. His ceramics are in the Sanbao Ceramic Institute's permanent collection in Jingdezhen, China. His paintings show in private and corporate collections, including the Canadian consulate in Nagoya and the Government of Ontario Art Collection.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Available work is posted here, on our Shop page. Also check out the available pieces at each of our partnering galleries and shops. Please see the Representation page for more information.
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My studio days are guided as much by mood as by schedule. While I do work to deadlines set with my gallery and shop representatives, I find I produce my best work when I follow my creative instincts. Painting tends to dominate my time — it's spontaneous and energizing in a way that really fuels my creativity. Pottery, by contrast, is a slower, more methodical process, and I embrace both rhythms depending on what the day calls for.
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Nature is my greatest influence. Whether I'm exploring a familiar corner of Ontario or travelling further across Canada, I find myself moved by the land around me. There's a sense of connection — almost like a conversation — between me and the landscapes I paint. That feeling of belonging to a place is something I bring into every piece I create.
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As a general rule, I don't take on commissioned pieces. In my experience, clients often have a very specific vision in mind, and artwork rarely unfolds exactly as imagined — that unpredictability is part of the creative process, but it can lead to disappointment on both sides. While I deeply appreciate that people want to own my work, I encourage collectors to browse the pieces currently available on my website or through my representing galleries and shops, where something just right may already be waiting for them.
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Honestly? It's more of a feeling than a checklist. A piece might sit in the studio for weeks — or sometimes just a few days — while I live with it, move it around, and simply observe it over time. Eventually, something clicks and I know it's done. Patience and also gut feelings are part of my process.
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I've traditionally worked in acrylics, but I've been enthusiastically exploring oils recently — on both wood panels and canvas — with exciting results. On the ceramics side, I work with a variety of clay bodies, firing in electric kilns using multi-fired and oxidation techniques, and I'm trained in both gas and electric firing methods. Glazes are a particular passion — I love experimenting with different formulas and firing schedules to see what surprises the kiln might offer up.
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For me, the most meaningful moments aren't always the biggest events — they're the connections. Meeting collectors who take their time choosing a piece of art, really engaging with it, is deeply rewarding. So too is crossing paths with artists who've inspired me, such as Peter Powning, Kayo O'Young, and Shirley Clifford. And any opportunity to stand in front of the work of painters I admire — Joan Mitchell, Cy Twombly, Robert Rauschenberg — never gets old.
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I no longer teach regular classes, but I do occasionally respond to requests to speak with small groups of artists or collectors. If you're interested in arranging something like that, feel free to reach out through the contact page.
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Almost everything that makes it through my studio process is available for sale. Between the house and the studio, space fills up fast — and with new work always in progress, there's a constant and practical need to make room! If a piece has made it out of the studio, it has earned its place in the world.
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I stay current by viewing the work of other artists, and I've taken courses and workshops with talented colleagues over the years. But the real motivation is my own experimentation with different processes and media. I value change in my work and find it difficult to stay in any one creative phase for too long — which I hope is good news for buyers, as there's always something new on the horizon.
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People often ask me what I was thinking about when I made a piece, or what I was trying to say. It's not always an easy question to answer. What I can say is that nothing inspires me more than hearing that someone has found something of themselves in my work — that a piece resonated in a personal, unexpected way. Those moments remind me why I keep creating.