Artist Biography

Lorraine Simonds is an internationally recognised, award-winning watercolour artist and educator based in Squamish, British Columbia, renowned for her loose and emotional portraiture. A Signature Member of the Federation of Canadian Artists and Elect Member of the Canadian Society of Painters in Water Colour, Lorraine’s expressive work has earned her Finalist honours in Splash 26 and 27: The Best of Watercolour, as well as multiple First Place National Awards with the Federation of Canadian Artists. She is also the BC Representative for the International Watercolour Society Canada and serves as International Brand Ambassador for Rockwell Art Canada and Golden Maple. Lorraine has been invited as Special Guest Artist and Cultural Ambassador to the 2025 China International Watercolour Art Season and will exhibit at the prestigious International Watercolour Masters (IWM2026) in England. Her work has been featured in juried exhibitions internationally and is held in private and permanent collections worldwide.

She has served as a juror for international watercolour competitions, including Women in Watercolour International, the Let’s Rock! International for two consecutive years, and the IWS Canada Members Competition. Her work has been featured in print in Watercolor Artist, Art Avenue, The Art of Watercolour, and Artists Magazine. While Lorraine is best known for her evocative portraits, her practice is expanding into deeper narrative works, with collectors also drawn to her florals and animal portraits. A deep admiration for traditional Chinese art informs her approach, particularly its economy of brushstroke, expressive linework, and philosophy of capturing essence rather than mere likeness. These influences are evident in her signature style – loose, atmospheric, and richly textured, with an intentional interplay between control and spontaneity, presence and absence.

Her artistic journey began in Plymouth, England, where she first learned to draw from books and practised on the vast, rugged English Moorlands. She developed a love for portraiture through acrylics and oils, and later formalised her understanding of contrast, focus, and composition through film photography at Plymouth College of Art & Design, before earning a BA in Fine Art from the University of Leeds. Her perspective has been shaped by both her multicultural roots and her life in Squamish’s close-knit community, where relationships and connection are central. Lorraine has studied under the mentorship of renowned watercolourist Thomas Schaller and Mary Whyte, attending in person workshops with Eudes Correia and Joseph Zbukvic.

Beyond traditional fine art training, Lorraine's creative lens has been profoundly shaped by a multifaceted 16-year corporate career in branding, marketing, photography, graphic design, and interior design, including three years as Director of Brand and Marketing for a global hotel chain. With years spent curating visual narratives, designing spaces, and composing striking imagery, she brings an acute awareness of composition, value, and storytelling to her paintings. Her experience playing bass guitar in bands has also influenced her work – just as music relies on rhythm, space, harmony, and even dissonance, she approaches painting with a keen sensitivity to movement, contrast, and balance, ensuring each piece feels alive and resonant.

Stemming from her faith, Lorraine seeks to reveal hope in every dark place, inviting viewers to find light, beauty, and possibility through her art. From her studio in Squamish, she offers original paintings, limited edition prints, commissioned portraits, and mentorship programmes that help emerging artists develop both technical mastery and their unique artistic voice.