"The Wave" Painting

My name is Ekaterina Shortt, and I am a self-taught artist living in a small hamlet in southern Alberta — though my story begins nearly 8,000 kilometres away, in Ukraine.

I grew up watching my father paint. He was an artist, and his presence filled our home with colour, with easels and canvases, with the smell of oil paint and turpentine. He never formally taught me, but I absorbed something just by being near him — an understanding that art was not a hobby, but a way of seeing the world.

When my father passed away, I received no money, no property. What I received instead filled one giant suitcase: his paintings. I carried them with me across the ocean when I came to Canada twenty years ago, determined to build a new life. That suitcase was my inheritance. It still is.

For years, my own path led elsewhere — through work in customer service, accounting, and raising a family. I kept my father's paintings close, but I didn't paint. Not yet. Something held me back, or perhaps I was simply waiting.

Then, in January 2025, I finally picked up a brush.

I haven't stopped since.

In just over a year, I have completed more than 30 paintings. I am drawn to the landscapes that surround me here in Alberta — wide skies, open fields, the quiet beauty of the prairies. I also paint pet portraits, seascapes, and am currently learning the delicate art of portraiture. I don't follow strict formulas. I paint by feel, by memory, by what moves me in the moment. And sometimes, I swear I can feel my father watching over my shoulder.

My work has found a home at The Little Bakehouse, a local bakery and café in Lethbridge, Alberta, where it is currently on display. Some of my pieces have also sold through The Purple Hippo, a charming gift store that has been wonderfully supportive of local artists. Each sale, each kind word, has meant more than I can express.

I paint because I have to now. Because it brings me closer to myself, closer to the memory of my father, and because I hope — in some small way — it might bring something beautiful into your home as well.

Thank you for being here.