ARTIST STATEMENT
I work with an innovative process of spraying thin veils of automotive paint over a glitter and pigment encrusted canvas. Colour is the element which draws me most to paint. It is a source of endless awe and fascination for me which is my my work is reduced to the elements of colour, texture and shine. I work with the idea of transforming textiles from their raw state to a shimmering bed of colour. Through endless experimentation I am able to prime and layer the fabric with layers of gesso, glue and metal flake preceding the application of colour. The particles beneath impact and transform the colour of the paint which is translucent enough to allow the particles to radiate through. The material nature of the surface becomes the subject matter of the painting: its density, light, colour, texture and the way it changes from every viewing angle.
My work has evolved from colour gradients to more complex woven and fringed paintings. Initially borne as an act of repurposing, flawed paintings were cut into strips which I later began to weave. These works straddle a space between painting and object and involve an intensely manual process. There is a feeling of slowing down as I allow myself time to reimagine and reconstruct the painting.
Whereas I am often drawn to use soft colours, canvases with feminine weaves and fringing, the underlying process utilises male gendered tools such as flake guns, spray guns, automotive paint and is physically demanding. This blend of gendered materials together with the palpable surface tension between colour and shine creates an allure which is uniquely delicate yet strong. A quiet strength underpins these paintings which aim to mesmerise and soothe with their colour and intense shine.
“I try to make whatever generates a strong feeling of connection within me, both in its making and the pleasure of its perception”
BIOGRAPHY
Shelly is a visual artist, raised in South Africa, of Israeli origin and now working from her studio in North London. She completed a Law degree in South Africa and is a self taught artist who turned her attention to painting, after a career in the City of London.
Her shimmering paired back colour field paintings explore a process of mixing unconventional materials together to create a surface where glitter, paint and pigment particles coalesce to incantatory effect. Her process-intensive paintings are reductive in nature, exploring elements of colour, materiality and intimacy and are a response to processes of internal enquiry and external visual influences derived from her environment, fashion and social media.
Shelly has produced numerous commission pieces for private individuals and has collaborated with interior designers such as Kelly Hoppen. She has exhibited in group shows as well as in Art Fairs such as The Affordable Art Fair, Roys Art Fair and The Other Art Fair. Her work has been been featured in numerous publications and online exhibitions.