Sheila Siegerman

life story

Botanical Artist and concert violinist

Celebrated Canadian botanical artist and violinist whose self-taught mastery of gouache earned international recognition and a lasting legacy in collections from Toronto to Highgrove House.

Sheila’s story

Art and music were woven through Sheila Siegerman’s life, but it was with her gouache paintings of flowers that she found her most enduring voice. Her delicate, photo-realistic renderings of exotic plants earned international acclaim and a lasting legacy, with works housed in collections from Toronto to Highgrove House in England.

Sheila was born in Kamloops, B.C., in 1931 and grew up in Vancouver, one of two children. Her older brother, George, was killed in Italy at the very end of the Second World War. From an early age she showed extraordinary talent in both art and music, a dual passion that shaped a rich and varied career.

She began her professional life as a concept artist for the now-defunct Coolvent Awnings in Vancouver, where she met her future husband, Martin Siegerman (1927–2001), then a young sales rep. In 1951 she became a jewellery designer for Henry Birks Ltd., where her silver rose bowl was chosen by the City of Vancouver as the official gift for then-Princess Elizabeth during her visit. After moving east with Martin in 1955, Sheila worked as a graphic artist for Westinghouse in Hamilton before becoming a mother in 1958. She continued to design, winning a national diamond ring design competition in 1961.

In 1963 the family relocated to Montreal, where Sheila lived for 15 years before settling permanently in Toronto in 1977. Alongside raising her daughter, she nurtured her musical life. She played second violin with the Kingston Symphony Orchestra and once performed as a pickup violinist with the visiting Bolshoi Ballet Orchestra. She also designed elaborate stage sets for the Lakeshore Players in Dorval and later for the McGill Chamber Orchestra, whose Rococo-style set she created was used for many years. In 1971 she was named Set Designer of the Year in the Critics’ Choice Awards.

In her fifties, Sheila turned to botanical painting. Entirely self-taught, she quickly established herself in the field. Her first exhibition, organized by her daughter at what is now the Toronto Botanical Garden, led to a succession of shows in Canada, England, and the United States. She went on to receive a gold and two silver medals from the Royal Horticultural Society in England. Her work was collected by distinguished patrons including Dr. Shirley Sherwood, OBE, a noted authority on botanical art, and the then Prince of Wales. In 2000 she won the Juror’s Award for “Orchids in Art” from the Greater New York Orchid Society.

The pinnacle of Sheila’s career came with her invitation to contribute to the Highgrove Florilegium, commissioned by King Charles III—then Prince of Wales—to document the plants in his private gardens. Published in 2008, the Florilegium was the first of its kind by the British Royal Family, and submissions were rigorously judged to ensure the highest standards. Only 175 copies were produced, each selling for £10,950 to benefit the Prince of Wales’s Charities. The collection later toured internationally, including exhibitions at the New York School of Interior Design and the Hunt Institute in Pittsburgh. Sheila’s art was also featured on the cover of Orient-Express Magazine and in the book A Passion for Plants by Dr. Sherwood.

Sheila passed away peacefully in Toronto on April 16, 2025, at the age of 93. She is survived by her daughter Robin, grandson Julian, and great-granddaughter Sophie.

In accordance with her wishes, there was no funeral or celebration of life. Donations in her memory may be made to the Movement Disorder Clinic at Toronto Western Hospital, in honour of Martin Siegerman, or to a charity of your choice.

Sheila’s love of beauty, music, and form found its truest expression in the precision of her brushwork — a legacy that continues to bloom long after her passing.