'It's very disheartening': Paintings stolen from Grey Nuns Hospital

Edmonton artist Jeanette Spencer displays prints on Oct. 18, 2024 of the two paintings that were stolen from the Grey Nuns Hospital. (Galen McDougall/CTV News Edmonton)

The Grey Nuns Community Hospital is the unsuspected scene of an art heist.

Jeanette Spencer, a local artist, recently learned that two of her works were stolen from the hospital after receiving a call from Volunteer Services at the hospital.

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"They called to tell me that they noticed that some pieces were missing," Spencer told CTV News Edmonton on Friday. "They asked if I had come to pick up a couple pieces … we let them know. So after that, I was like 'Oh, they're gone.'"

The volunteer services department told her that surveillance footage showed someone stealing her paintings; however, this wouldn't be the first time that Spencer had her art stolen from different facilities, saying the thefts left her "feeling gross."

"I worked so hard on those pieces. You know, you work on something for two weeks and you've got it priced at $550 or $650," she said.This supplied, undated photo of a country road painting was stolen from the Grey Nuns Hospital. (Courtesy: Jeanette Spencer)"I'm not making that much money on these pieces, right? It's very disheartening."

Spencer told CTV News Edmonton on Friday the stolen pieces were a 20 x 20 inch oil painting of a fox and a 20 x 24 inch oil painting of a country road.

An undated supplied photo of 20 x 20 inch oil painting featuring a fox was stolen from the Grey Nuns Hospital. (Courtesy: Jeanette Spencer)After receiving the call from the volunteer services department, Spencer was advised to report the theft to police. When she arrived at the police station she overheard another woman reporting five of her paintings stolen from the same hospital.

Edmonton Police Service has been investigating since.

The paintings at the hospital have some security measures, such as locks and wires, to prevent theft.

It could have been worse for Spencer as the thief left five of her paintings alone, including her largest one. Although the sting of having her work stolen remains with the artist.

"I've described it as someone stealing your joy. They're stealing something that is on display in the hospital for people who need a little cheerfulness in their life," she said.

According to Spencer, if someone was interested in buying her artwork, 20 per cent of the sale would go to the hospital's charity and the rest she keeps.

The stolen paintings are worth $1,200.