During my ecology degree I could never get over how every time we learned about something new I was able to see the world in entirely different way. I once took a class entirely on moss identification and ever since then I haven’t been able to walk through the forest without mentally struggling to identify every moss on the trail, and ever since I took a course on bird calls I can’t listen to the birds sing in the morning without trying to relate the call back to a specific species.  Before these courses I don’t know if I even really saw the moss or the truly heard the birds. While being able to identify a vast array of species can help a person become more aware of the world around them memorizing long complicated Latin names may not be for everyone. I believe that art is a way to open the eyes of an even larger audience. With my artwork I hope to bring light to animals, nature and spirituality in a way that scientific naming never can; I hope to help people “see the moss,” and “hear the bird calls,” through colourful and soulful images that they can relate to. 

 INSPIRED BY COLOURS, NATURE AND DISCOVERING THE UNKNOWN.

Colours - Layers and Layers of colours, warm, cool, black, white - there are so many possibilities and there is so much fun to be had in experimenting with how they will interact. A satisfying painting session for me usually includes pulling together a combination of vibrant and chaotic colours, a messy palette, some finger painting here and there, and a lot of clean-up (sorry floors and walls!). 

Nature - The world is a beautiful place. There is so much to explore, discover and learn about. I believe that we are a part of nature, in which everything is connected to everything else and nothing can exist in isolation. In each painting I create I hope to depict wildlife in a form that people can connect to and develop an appreciation for. 

The Unknown - Painting for me has become a receptive process of surrendering my expectations, learning to adapt to the new challenges of each piece and entering the unknown. It is my intent for each painting to also open up a world of unknown to the viewer. I hope to captivate the viewer with questions of how the painting came together, as well as inspire them to learn more about the natural world that may have previously been unknown to them.

Shelby Willis Art | shelbywillisart@gmail.com | (780) 902-8573

ALL RIGHTS FOR THESE AMAZING PAINTINGS ARE RESERVED TO  Shelby Willis, They must not be reproduced.

SHELBYWILLIS

ARTIST