Artist's Statement
For more images visit the artist's personal website by clicking here.

Acrylics on Acrylic:

The works in this series explore an inner journey of emotional highs and lows expressed through a visual medium. They are bold, attention seekers and subtle, tranquil meditations. The explosions of color and bold patterns convey joy, excitement, pleasure, and exhilaration.  The softer, more introspective works evoke a sense of looking inward, meditating, and contemplating. Each one transforms as it goes through the process of creation. They very rarely adhere to one single idea from a sketch book or mental notation on design. They are a rollercoaster- much like the emotional responses that sparked their creation.

The physical properties of this body of work are inspired by the mediums of collage, sculpture, and painting with modern materials and diverse handling of the media. Each one is cut, shaped, cleaned, prepared for paint, painted, sealed, drilled, mounted, and then hung. They are very much about the hands-on process of creation and the artistic formalities regarding shape, surface, brush strokes, color combination, and patterning.
 

Geometrics and Organics:
This on going series plays off of the earlier Semblance/Patterns of Life works. They are meant to be a bit more complex  elements. Most are multi-media works that combine canvas, paint, mulberry papers, fabrics, and other materials. The surfaces are more “worked” and show a push and pull of painterly elements. The emphasis of the body of work is to combine the geometrics, reflecting man’s presence and personality, and the organics, referencing our environment and nature.

Bio

Artist Shelley Tate Garner was born in Denison, Texas but has resided in southern Oklahoma for the past 28 years. Her career brought her back to the arts community of Denison in 2003 where she continues to work and teach at her studio in the heart of historic downtown. Garner has the unique experience of growing up in and working on both sides the Red River valley. She considers herself an Oklahoma artist and currently resides in her home state, but is largely involved with the arts on both sides of the Red and abroad.

Garner graduated from Southeastern Oklahoma State University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts, Cum Laude in 2002, specializing in painting and ceramics. Her interest has focused primarily on contemporary abstraction and non-representational painting, but also reaches into sculpture, graphics, and other mixed-media applications. Since school, she has been featured in numerous group exhibitions across the southwest region and recently completed several solo showings.

Shelley Tate Garner has received numerous awards for her painting and sculpture works. Her work is included in prominent private and corporate collections across the United States, Canada, and Germany. She is currently represented by Artplace Gallery (Denison, TX), Art on 5th (Austin, TX), Monsoon Gallery (Bethlehem, Pennsylvania), and online at artwanted.com.