Artist of the Month February 2011

Lynnette Shelley

Ambler, PA

Lynnette Shelley is a Delaware native who moved to the Philadelphia area in 1999. Having a great love animals, fairytales, and world mythology, Lynnette fuses these influences into her strikingly unique illustrations. Her artwork strikes a primal chord in many viewers, with almost Jungian associations to the colors and shapes. Her animal art and creature illustrations are both primitive and sophisticated, and have been likened to images from an undiscovered ancient civilization or culture.

Lynnette is represented by Countryside Gallery in Newtown, PA. She is also a member of InLiquid, a Philadelphia-based nonprofit arts organization. Please see her website's exhibitions page for her current event schedule. In addition to her fine art pursuits, Lynnette is also the co-founder of The Red Masque, an original avant rock band which has played numerous shows and festivals since 2001. The Red Masque is signed to an experimental / avant label based out of Colorado.

How and when did you start creating art?

I've been creating art as soon as I was old enough to hold a crayon or a pencil, but I became a professional working artist (i.e. quit my day job) in 2007.

What media and genres do you work in?

Mixed Media usually.  I've been working mostly on paper because I love its immediacy and the various paper types. However, I did recently pick up some wood panels and I'm going to start experimenting with them.

My work fits several genres: art nouveau, Celtic, mythological, fantasy art, expressionist.

Who or what are your influences?

Klimt, Beardsley, Van Gogh, and many others, plus Celtic art, Eastern art and Asian art in general.

"The Union"- First of all, I wanted to draw elephants because they are really special animals, very intelligent and a lot of people relate to them. They have an almost mythic presence. I had an idea in my head about intertwining trunks and as I was working on the piece I used complimentary colors on the two elephants. To me this piece represents the union of opposites - the masculine and the feminine - duality - as well as peace and harmony.

Describe your creative process?

I usually start with a pencil sketch and work out the basic idea and outlines, after which I will ink in those lines and then start to fill in all the details with color.

But when I am not actively working on a project I like to read up on various myths and folklore and well as look up ancient symbols or patterns. I also like to look up various animals, whether it's going to the zoo or to nature centers or just watching nature specials and reading up on them as well since they figure so predominantly in my work.

Many of my pieces illustrate various legends and folktales or touch on ancient symbols. "The Sun Wheel" (image attached), for example, represents life / energy/ creativity. The sun wheel is an ancient symbol with Indo-European roots, and represents the sun. The sun represents life to many cultures and with the birds and the wasps both flying/solar animals (as well as a pun on the birds and the bees, or euphemism for procreation), this artwork represents creation and life energy.

"The Adversaries" (image attached) depicts an almost Celtic / medieval image of a lion wrestling with a serpent or dragon. In many cultures the serpent or dragon represents wisdom or the intellect, while a lion represents physical strength or the body. So, with this artwork, I was trying to depict the sometimes struggle between the mind and the body, or the heart and the head.

What are you working on currently?

Currently I just wrapped up a commission for a Tree of Life artwork and am in the process of working on some pieces for upcoming art shows including an oil pastel piece with three running horses.

What are your near/long term goals as an artist?

I'd like to be in more galleries across the country as well as have work in museums. I'd like to be travel all over the country and the world and view art by various indigenous peoples. I would also like to put together an art book of some sort and I also think my art style would lend itself very well to storybooks, tarot cards, and the like. I've also thought about teaming up with a jeweler and making some pieces based off of some of my designs. Currently, a stained glass artist is working on using on one of my artworks ("The Dryad") as the basis for a stained glass piece. Both my artwork and her stained glass piece will be on display at Nichols Berg Gallery in (Chestnut Hill) Philadelphia for a solo show of mine in February 2011.

Where can people view/purchase your work (gallery, website, etc)?

You can purchase art on my website at www.lynnetteshelley.com as well as view all of my upcoming art shows. I'm also represented by Countryside Gallery in Newtown PA.