Arthur Shilling
Arthur Shilling
1941 - 1986
“Time is so precious. I’m under constant pressure from within. Like a volcano, grumbling and rumbling continually…I don’t close my eyes except when I sleep, and then there are dreams, color again.”
- Arthur Shilling, The Ojibway Dream

Arthur Shilling was born on the Chippewas of Rama First Nation Reserve near Orillia, Ontario into an Ojibway family. His work portrayed the Ojibway people and their inner life of courage, dignity and beauty, in spite of their difficulties.

Shilling received a scholarship from the Indian Affairs Department to study at the Ontario College of Art in Toronto, then he chose to self-teach. In his paintings, he depicted the life of his family and his people using an expressionist style with bold strokes of colour. A show at the Wells Gallery in Ottawa brought national recognition for his work, which became sought after.

As a child he suffered four attacks of rheumatic fever, which damaged his heart. While living in Toronto, he still suffered from heart problems, and in 1979 he decided to return to the peace of nature in the place of his birth in the Rama First Nation. In the mid-1970s, he went to Toronto for heart surgery, which was successful. He returned home, and after recuperating, he constructed a contemporary tepee studio and a home that he designed himself. His art at this time reflected the spiritual rebirth he found on the Rama Reserve; his works were passionate, using muscular brushwork and bright, radiant colour. After over-extending himself teaching children in the Peace River district of Northern Alberta, and supervising construction on his structures on the Rama Reserve, he relapsed and died at the age of 44.

The artist’s life was documented in the 1978 NFB film The Beauty of my People: The Life and Work of Arthur Shilling (1974). Shilling produced a book – The Ojibway Dream, a collection of 21 paintings that included poetic reflections on his inner life and his art. His works are in the collections of the Department of Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada, the National Museum of Man, McMichael Canadian Art Collection and the Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian.
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Artist's Family by Arthur Shilling sold for $23,600
Arthur Shilling
Artist's Family
36 x 48 in, 91.4 x 121.9 cm
oil on canvas
Estimate: $7,000 - $9,000 CDN
Sold for: $23,600 CDN (premium included)
February 2016 - 2nd session on Thursday, February 25, 2016
Woman with Corn (03742/A85-100) by Arthur Shilling sold for $13,750
Arthur Shilling
Woman with Corn (03742/A85-100)
48 x 36 in, 121.9 x 91.4 cm
oil on canvas
Estimate: $7,000 - $9,000 CDN
Sold for: $13,750 CDN (premium included)
Highlights from DuPont Canada on Wednesday, July 25, 2018
Two Girls by Arthur Shilling sold for $11,250
Arthur Shilling
Two Girls
36 x 36 in, 91.4 x 91.4 cm
oil on board
Estimate: $7,000 - $9,000 CDN
Sold for: $11,250 CDN (premium included)
August 2017 - 4th Session on Thursday, August 31, 2017
Chief Dan George by Arthur Shilling sold for $11,250
Arthur Shilling
Chief Dan George
24 1/4 x 19 3/4 in, 61.6 x 50.2 cm
oil on board
Estimate: $3,000 - $5,000 CDN
Sold for: $11,250 CDN (premium included)
First Nations & Inuit Art on Thursday, August 27, 2020
Ingred by Arthur Shilling sold for $10,625
Arthur Shilling
Ingred
36 x 24 in, 91.4 x 61 cm
oil on board
Estimate: $2,500 - $3,500 CDN
Sold for: $10,625 CDN (premium included)
Fine Canadian Art on Thursday, November 30, 2017
Dan George by Arthur Shilling sold for $8,913
Arthur Shilling
Dan George
23 x 21 3/4 in, 58.4 x 55.2 cm
oil on canvas
Estimate: $4,000 - $5,000 CDN
Sold for: $8,913 CDN (premium included)
Fine Canadian Art Spring 2005 on Wednesday, May 25, 2005
Self Portrait by Arthur Shilling sold for $8,750
Arthur Shilling
Self Portrait
25 x 18 3/4 in, 63.5 x 47.6 cm
oil on board
Estimate: $3,000 - $5,000 CDN
Sold for: $8,750 CDN (premium included)
Post-War & Contemporary Art on Thursday, March 30, 2023
Self Portrait by Arthur Shilling sold for $8,750
Arthur Shilling
Self Portrait
29 x 22 1/2 in, 73.7 x 57.2 cm
oil on board
Estimate: $4,000 - $6,000 CDN
Sold for: $8,750 CDN (premium included)
First Nations Art on Thursday, February 29, 2024
Portrait of a Young Person by Arthur Shilling sold for $8,625
Arthur Shilling
Portrait of a Young Person
38 x 33 in, 96.5 x 83.8 cm
oil on board
Estimate: $5,000 - $7,000 CDN
Sold for: $8,625 CDN (premium included)
November 2004 on Saturday, November 27, 2004
Millie at the Stream by Arthur Shilling sold for $8,190
Arthur Shilling
Millie at the Stream
29 x 35 in, 73.7 x 88.9 cm
oil on board
Estimate: $6,000 - $8,000 CDN
Sold for: $8,190 CDN (premium included)
September 2012 - 1st Session on Thursday, September 27, 2012