Shelley
Shelley is a Chinese-Canadian self-taught artist who is currently living in Montreal. Growing up in an immigrant family who had to start from scratch, the ability to create art was something she always had. Through her years of practice, something that stuck with her is line work, which is the core of her current art style. She is fascinated by the versatility of simple lines and what they can represent. Her art usually doesn't have deep meanings but rather strives to make people happy by incorporating bright colours and whimsical elements. Shelley likes to explore all art mediums and materials, but currently specializes in digital illustration, gouache paintings, and hand-tufted rugs.
"I am usually inspired by things I am obsessed with at the moment, it could be animals, plants, objects, or environments. Sometimes I try to incorporate surrealist elements into my drawings. I love the way surrealism takes you by surprise and makes you see reality in a different light. I think it also reflects the way my mind works, many thoughts and ideas melding together. Hence, a lot of my drawings are snapshots from my mind. I get more ideas when I have more creative energy, which comes in waves. When I am out of ideas, I put some music on and start doodling in my sketchbook and eventually ideas take shape. It’s like brainstorming in the form of drawing. Many of my sketchbook doodles get uploaded to digital art software where I further render them. Some of the designs get made into tufted rugs or other formats. "
