BARBARA SHELLY
I found my voice through art. My paintings combine my interest in dance, fashion, performing arts and current events. I come from a long line of activists and art lovers. I grew up in the 50’s immersed in everything that mid-century culture had to offer. My images reflect the 20th century as my art evolves in the 21st. My passion for the arts, admiration for leaders, compassion for humanity and hope for change emerge in my work.
Barbara Shelly is a self-taught mixed media artist. She literally and figuratively tears through the print media, layering it into textured collages using sketches, newspaper, ink and paint. Her creative instincts place the images, covering some for texture and highlighting others. The intentional and unintentional relationships to the subjects emerge in the finished work and leave room for the viewers interpretations. Her love of the performing arts has been rewarded by her paintings finding their way to her subjects including Spike Lee and Stella Abrera, ABT.
Barbara’s work has been shown in solo and group shows In Philadelphia and New York. Her painting “Doja Cat” was part of the Empower Her Art Forum, a multinational exhibition dedicated to raising women’s voices and the empowering ethos of art, at The National Museum of Egyptian Civilization in Cairo, Egypt. She curated an 18-women show for Women’s History/Art Month (WHAM) at the Goddard Riverside Community Center, March 2020. Her painting “Aurora” was in a curated show at Pleiades Gallery in February 2020.
Barbara was part of the Clio Art Fair in October 2019. Her painting “Tre Gucci” was in a curated show at Salmagundi Club Non-Members Exhibition 2018. Barbara is a founding member of Artist Supporting Artists to support the endeavors of other artists. As part of that effort, Ballet and Beyond NYC (balletandbeyondnyc.org), an urban program that brings professional dance training to children, receives a percentage of Barbara’s sales. Barbara is a board member of Ballet and Beyond NYC.
She is also a founding member of ArtSpeak Collective, a group of artists that partner with non-profits to support their efforts through art sales and virtual events.
Barbara was a recipient of grants form the Pennsylvania Arts Council, and the Pennsylvania Humanities Council to produce a documentary about the Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet. The film, “Children With A Dream” received awards from “Dance on Camera” in New York and the National Educational Film and Video Association, and it continues to reside in the PBS Film Library (having been shown frequently) and the New York Performing Arts Library.