I had a career in television, starting out as a film editor/camerawoman and then moving through the ranks to producer/director. Images have ALWAYS been a big part of my life....

My art has been used in advertising, decorating a new pediatric hospital ward in the U.S.( love that!), on notebooks, condiment labels, cards, cross stitch, puzzles,tshirts etc etc  and of course to brighten up the walls of hundreds of happy homes!

My art materials and camera:

I use acrylics in my paintings. My camera  is an iphone 6 and before that it was my  Canon G11. I also have a Nikon300 but tend to use it far less often preferring the mobility and small size of my other cameras.

The name of my business “Alice in Paris” always confuses people. My name is Shelagh and I live in Nova Scotia! Alice was my grandmother’s name. She was an extraordinary wee Scottish  business woman. My grandfather was  Captain of an oil tanker and was often away on long voyages. They had a small son and lived in the bottom flat of a large granite apartment block. It just happened to be across from a school. My grandmother decided to make sweets and sell them to the children. She opened a small shop in her living room. She expanded to add a few more items and eventually…….she bought the apartment building! One candy at a time….. 

Paris is a city I LOVE and I would love to have visited it with her, tea and art need no explanation:)

Wise quote from my grandfather:

” There will always be people who are more successful than you and those who are less successful, what you do with YOUR life is up to YOU!” – a quote by my grandfather, Captain James Mutch McNab. So true, work hard and don’t compare yourself to others, just do the best you can and feel proud of yourself.

Stuff I love: (more than you want to know I’m sure!)

Adventure, airstream trailers, Antiparos, ancient mysteries, astronomy, antiques, art deco, auctions, back packing, bag pipes, beautiful skies, biking, book stores,Camino de Santiago del Compostella, camping, Canada, canoeing, castles, cats, chai, celtic anything, chi, cooking, diaries, dance, dogs, dragonflies, dreams, fiddle, flamenco,flowers, folkart, folklore, forests, fountain pens, france, fred astaire,fresh bread,  friends, gardens, garlic, geckos, ghosts, glass paperweights, good food, Greece, hauntings,hand written letters, healthy living, Highlands, hiking, humour, illustration, India, Jesse Cook, Jk Rowling, journals, kayaking, kitsch, laughter, Left Bank, letters, literature, libraries, London, Loreena McKennit, magazines, meditation, merriment, moon, movies, mystery, mysticism, Nepal, New Zealand, night skies, Northern Lights, Nova Scotia, novels, ocean, old cookbooks, old movies, old musicals, photographs, painting, parcels, paris, poetry,postcards, pre-Raphaelites, reading, retro, Rhodesian Ridgebacks, roses, sailing, Scotland, Sythians, sea, selkies, skating,slide guitar, small business, star gazing, stationary,stone circles, storms, tall ships, tartan, tea, theatre, thunderstorms, trails, trains, travel, treasure hunting, trees, ufos, vintage, Volkswagens, walking, water, wild flowers, wilderness, wine, writing, yoga, zen……

Here’s the formal about me…

Shelagh Duffett began her visual arts journey in television and transitioned into painting sixteen-years ago.  She is a self-taught painter and her bright, joyful, colourful work reflects her unique view of the world and a passion for life that is evocative of an almost nostalgic time.  Ms. Duffett is also a Getty photographer, with clients as diverse as Jamie Oliver and the Philadelphia International Flower Show.  She has illustrated and co-written a successful children’s book and her work is licensed for use on an extensive range of merchandise from greeting cards to clothing.  Ms. Duffett’s work is in private and public collections in more than twenty-five countries worldwide, including professional offices and, happily the new pediatric ward of a St. Louis, USA hospital. Shelagh Duffett lives in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

You can contact her at

shelaghduffett@gmail.com