Shelley Dell

Perihelion, where the earth is closest to the sun was January 2, 2021 this year. A time where we are closest to the sun but very cold in the Northern Hemisphere. This is what I saw when I went out to close up the chickens, at first I thought it was the moon, but it was a light left on in my neighbor’s house. The painting is 12″w X 9″h, mixed media on birch panel. I had some trouble getting a good black and used some soft black pastel powder to get a deeper shadow.

This new painting will be part of the ArtEast Dutchess Open Studio Tour kick off show at the Live 4 Art Gallery, 20 Charles Coleman Blvd, Pawling NY from September 3 – 26, 2021 Opening reception September 11 5-8 pm

Come see what the group has been up to. I will be gallery sitting Friday September 3 and Friday September 10 from 12-4 pm if you want to chat about my current painting.

I have been returning to old territory: making prints, something that I have not had a chance to work on for many many years. Long ago I studied printmaking with Juan Gomez-Quiroz, something that I always hoped to get back to. Now? I am making monoprints, studying with Anthony Kirk, incorporating chine-collé prints of maps. I have heard that city people tell distance in time, I believe that love and addiction tell time in distance.
This is a monoprint that incorporates a map printed on rice paper. It describes a route frequently traveled in the dark, and a place where I am not protected, my art burnt or destroyed, where I am made invisible.

This second print is a ‘ghost’ print, a second time through the press using the ink that is still on the plate from the first print. This print doesn’t include a map, the path is burnt into the paper and marked with a string of beads, a vein that connects a beating heart with a damaged one.

The 2021 Arts Bedford show has adapted to life in this confused and confusing year. I am completely chuffed to be a part of this virtual show which raises money for many charities. Many of my paintings are finding new homes, you can find the show online here: https://artshowbedford.org/ you can see more of my new work on the rest of my website, take a look and leave a comment if you like.

I was asked to make a painting for Art Show Bedford 2020 this year, with the theme of 2020 Vision. Everything we see these days is through a filter, and most of what we see is through our phones. This painting is about 8″ square and is on view at ASB2020, a very cool place to see what is happening in the Westchester New York art world. This weekend and next, take a look.

My plan for 2020. New painting series, thinking about light as both a particle and a wave, feeling light waves like the wind.

Yesterday I was lucky enough to see Vija Celmin’s retrospective “To Fix the Image In Memory” at The Met Breuer. You should go. Now. the show closes on January 12, 2020. Missing experiences that it would be not all that hard to arrange is not part of how I mean to go on. Instead of this one sliding by with good intentions and great remorse I set a date and did not make any excuses. Yes this is a drawing: allow time to really look, allow your brain to boggle and your heart to break.