O-6705

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painting (portrait)

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Study: The Right Honourable Jean Chrétien

Christan Nicholson

At the unveiling of Christan Nicholson’s official portrait of Prime Minister Jean Chrétien in 2010, Senate Speaker Noël Kinsella noted that Nicholson’s first portrait was of his own grandmother. This fondness for painting “everyday Canadians” is still a source of pride, says Nicholson, who was born in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1948 and still lives and works in the province. Over the decades he has completed portraits of many famous figures, including iconic writers Hugh MacLennan and Margaret Atwood. His portrait of Governor-General Romeo Leblanc was a Canadian postage stamp in 2010.