Artist Spotlight: Shellie Mitchell

Meet Shellie Mitchell, a Lancaster, SC artist originally from Wisconsin. In addition to being a talented artist with international clientele, Shellie also runs a blog and was interviewed by Etsy.com - check it out!

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Describe your medium(s) of choice: I used to be primarily an oil painter who also loved to mix in random mediums (shoe polish, ink, oil pastels or whatever I could find) on either canvas or found wood. Now I paint on occasion with water-based paints in my sketchbooks. I am currently very into my fabric on wood medium because it is not messy and I just love fabric.

Can you describe the process? My fabric on wood process goes like this: I usually draw directly onto the wood. Then I pick out what fabrics I want to use, which is one of my favorite parts. I begin by laying out one fabric at a time and I draw onto the fabric with colored pencils and cut out each shape. Usually I cut out some of the more detailed pieces and set them off to the side. Then I start applying the bigger piece with a rice-based liquid starch. Once the piece is dry, most of the time I come back with colored pencil and add in shadows or some detailing. Then I paint on 2 layers of polyurethane but each layer must dry before the next is applied. Once done, I trim the edges with a razor blade and the piece is ready to hang or be framed.

How long have you been creating art? I know there are some sketchbooks somewhere from when I was about 5. I have loved art as long as I can remember. I won a drawing contest once when I was 12 where I won free ice cream once a week at Spoons for a year. The problem was there were 4 kids in the family and usually a few others with us, so my mom ended up spending a fortune on my "free" ice cream.

In early middle school I do remember my art teachers taking some interest in me... I was really slow on each piece I made, but pretty good. In high school I really started playing around with various mediums and started drawing a lot more from real life. I took portrait classes at CPCC while in high school and it was the greatest thing. I knew I wanted to major in Art in college and that is what I did. So I have just always loved to draw and sketch, it was just the norm for me.

Are there any artists whose work you admire? Has anything or anyone influenced your style? This is a tough one because there are so many. One of my all time favorite artists is Käthe Kollwitz. She is just amazing and sad and beautiful to me. Very sad subject matter but she created such depth and emotion with her work. I just adore her. I love Chagall too... all the colors and his quiet playful movements. I saw one of his large stained glass piece in a museum I believe in Cleveland once. It was breathtaking - to even be in the presence of his work gave me chills. There are so many who have influenced my work, I don't even know where to begin. I would say those who have been an influence are the ones who catch my emotions. I strive for that in my work, it is so powerful to say something with a wordless image.

Where are you from originally? and what brought you to the big city of LA? I was born in Wisconsin and moved to Charlotte, NC when I was 6. I grew up in Charlotte until I went to school in Boone, NC. Then came back to this area and live in Indian Trail, NC for a few years. Then my husband and I wanted a bigger house on more land so we ventured out here to Lancaster. We have been here a little over 2 1/2 years and just love it!

Where is your art available for purchase? I have a shop on www.Etsy.com where I sell my work (www.shellieartist.etsy.com). I sell all of my originals and many prints of my originals. My prints are made here at home on my Epson printer. I use only genuine Epson inks (which are archival and fade resistant) on heavyweight Epson paper. I have some postcards as well which I also consider "mini" prints. I also offer ACEO which are the small trading cards, that seem to be pretty popular if you want to collect small works of art.

What's the furthest place you've ever shipped art that you've sold? Wow, the wonderful thing about Etsy is it has made my work available to the world. I am sure that Australia is the farthest but here are a handful... I have sold and shipped to Australia, UK, Germany, Spain and France. I did make a custom piece that was very very large (24" x 36") and had to ship it to Hawaii... that was an adventure!

Is there a central theme to your work? any recurring characters? There are recurring themes. I usually stick to these themes unless commissioned to do something else: cats, lovers/couples, the great outdoors, camping, forest animals, flowers, kitchen themes (like veggies or tea or coffee) and nude women or close ups of women's faces. I know it's a random mix, but that is just what I do.

Is there any particular art supply that you just couldn't live without? Batik fabrics, Sta-Flo, water-based polyurethane, my fabric cutting scissors, hand-held cordless circular saw and my level work table where I poly. Also, my R1800 Epson printer!

What do you do in your free time? Well, I have a 2-year old little boy, so free time is very limited. I love to cook up fabulous dinners and entertain friends. I love going to the mountains and camping/backpacking with my husband (which I don't seem to do enough lately). I love to garden, grow plants from seed, harvest and eat all my crops. And of course I love spending time with my little guy, we can spend hours outside with sidewalk chalk and be completely entertained. On warm days you can find me rollerblading around the track at the Lancaster Rec. Center... sometimes I'm pushing a stroller and sometimes I get to go alone!

Any other fun facts? Never been abducted by aliens, but I think I could eat sushi for every meal - if only I could afford to and we had sushi closer than Ballantyne! (hee hee)

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More fun stuff:
http://www.shellieart.blogspot.com
http://www.flickr.com/photos/shellieartist/
www.shellieartist.etsy.com