Vanessa Simpkins

Welcome to SimpkinsArt.com,

You’re about to experience a rare and unique family legacy, the bedrock of Canada’s art heritage, the creative expression and talent of 4 famous Canadian artists all under the “Simpkins” name.

My name is Vanessa Simpkins. I am the daughter of Ron Simpkins 1942-2008 professional Canadian Landscape artist who painted the serenity in nature, beautiful oil paintings which can be found in over 500 corporate and private collections throughout the world. Dad’s love affair with nature started at 7 yrs old and he never looked back.

My grandfather Henry J Simpkins R.C.A was one of Canada’s best watercolor painters winning the Dow Price award in 1932-1934 Canada’s most prestigious art award at that time. His horses, barnes, kids playing hockey on the outdoor rinks, sugar shacks and rural landscapes are phenomenal. Always a sketch pad in hand his nudes are just divine, simple and stunningly capture the feminine essence in all its grace and splendor. Henry was a draftsman who also did the original “Captain Morgan” on the Rhum bottle and captured the flavor of the 50’s beautifully.

Jim Simpkins the creator of the infamous “Jasper the Bear” was my great uncle. Jasper the bear was a fun and whimsical chartoon character published 27 yrs straight in Macleans Magazine. Jim created the first hockey stamp in Canada, worked for the national film board for 16 yrs and was a founding member of the Canadian Cartoonists Association.

Tom Simpkins worked at Eaton’s then The Hudson Bay Company as their art director for 30 yrs before starting his own art publicity and promotional consulting company from home.

You see my great great grandmother had 3 sons, put up brown paper along the living room walls and let her 3 sons color and pain on it…and they all became FAMOUS Canadian artists.

On this site you will find their work, their story and will understand the “Simpkins” contribution to Canada’s art heritage. They all studied under Lemoign Fitzgerald who later became one of the infamous Group of Seven painters.

My intention in creating this site is to share their passion, their inspiration and their courage to express creatively the divine in every day in legacy they leave behind in their art.

Enjoy :)
Vanessa Simpkins