The work of Lora Shelley provides a glimpse into the dream world of the artist: always intense, often dramatic, sometimes scary and occasionally infused with humor.

 

A tired waitress at the end of her shift, a young girl with puppets, disappearing into intricately patterned wallpaper, or a moon beckoning her to arise, characters appear lost in their interior worlds. These emotional narratives use a cinematic quality to evoke the introspection that rests at the heart of her work.

 

With inspiration coming to artists in various ways, for Lora, it comes through books, movies, observations of everyday life  – anything, really, from a fork to the gesture of a hand.  Creatures big and small are found throughout Shelley’s work. Her love of animals is self-evident, her intrigue with human form and interaction, a part of her everyday thought and process

 

Shelley’s artistic influences are many: artists from the past and the present – Paul Gauguin, Kathe Kollwitz, Pierre Bonnard, Gustav Klimt, Hundertwasser, Emil Nolde and Edvard Munch to name but a few.

 

Lora Shelley currently resides in the Hudson Valley, surrounded by the area’s natural beauty and the creative energy of her fellow artist friends. She is a graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD). Her work in the studio is assisted by Charley and Mustard, rescue cats, supervisors and tough critics who apparently believe her efforts should be more focused on keeping them entertained. Lora tries.