Shuca Chalifour

My journey as an artist and creator has been an adventure of twists and turns. I come from very creative roots; both my grandmother and my mother are visual artists.

Email: shuca@shucachalifour.com – Find Shuca On Instagram – Videos on YouTube

Ottawa School of Art

As a young woman I was lucky enough to work with an artist by the name of Marion Cummings who inspired me to create with flowers. She was both a floral designer and a visual artist. When I graduated from high school I moved from the Maritimes to Ottawa, Ontario where I attended Ottawa School of Art, while I was completing my diploma in fine arts.

Set Decoration and Production Design

I became connected with the filmmaking community at Saw Gallery. I quickly discovered that I loved working in the collaborative environment of filmmaking. I worked as a set decorator and a props person and eventually as a production designer  I also worked in visual display and events decorating. My career as a production designer was very exciting but I always enjoyed building things, sometimes I would work at the National Arts Centre under my mentor Victor Elliott. Building props was something I very much enjoyed. When Victor went on hiatus for a year, I ran the prop shop at the National Arts Centre; this was also the year that I became a mother.

Creating For The Waldorf School Esthetic

I found that trying to juggle my career as a prop builder and production designer had to take second place to being a mother and parent to three young children. When my children started to attend Waldorf School, I became very involved in the parent community. Waldorf education is very different from conventional education in Canada — many of the things that are used in the classroom are handmade by the parents.

In the Waldorf school everything the children handle is from nature: wood, wool, textile, bees wax, found items. It is an education system that is rich in art, craft, literature, and music. I enjoyed this new world very much and developed my skills, becoming a needle felter and fiber artist.

I found myself teaching other parents my new skills, and enjoyed giving workshops on needle felting, doll making, and other fibre arts. I have always been a designer; if given a pattern to use I will usually re-design it and make a new pattern. I guess I enjoy the process of creating something original.

Fine Arts: Printmaking, Sculpture Etc.

My family and I relocated to Northern Ontario a number of years ago leaving behind our Waldorf community. My children are growing up and attending regular school. Now that my children have grown up, I find myself with more time on my hands and I am drawn back into the world of fine art: printmaking, sculpture, drawing, and painting.

Floral Design and Urban Gardening

I have always been a floral designer. I continue to work with plants and flowers every day. I forage in the summertime for mushrooms and wildflowers and plants; my garden is full of rescued plants. I enjoy picking flowers and arranging them all spring, summer, and fall. Of course winter limits this…this winter I hope to spend my time making artwork.