Judith Zinkan was born and raised in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. Inspired by the vast prairie landscape, Zinkan was only nine years old when she decided to pursue art as a career. She moved with her family to Calgary, Alberta at the age of twelve, and when she graduated from high school, travelled throughout Europe. This trip exposed Zinkan to the art world, and when she returned to Calgary, Zinkan began studying art at the University of Calgary. She also spent two years attending the University of Houston before finishing her studies at the Alberta College of Art in 1980. Zinkan's continuing art education took her back to Saskatchewan once more as she attended an Emma Lake Artists' Workshop at Emma Lake, Saskatchewan in 1981. After a move to Australia in 1981, she returned to Calgary in 1983 and continued her painting practice, continuing to study at Emma Lake over the years. Zinkan works in oil paints, creating landscapes and still lifes that are often garden-themed. Zinkan is a gardener herself, maintaining a garden with her husband Chris Zinkan that has won awards from the Calgary Horticultural Society. Her paintings have been exhibited across western Canada.