Meet the Artist
A Story of Redemption
The Artist – Shelley West
Gainesville-based artist specializing in acrylic-based paintings.
Art has always been a passion of mine.
Even in middle school my art teacher accused me of cheating on an art assignment as he claimed that, “there is no way you could have known how to paint like this.”
Little did he know, I was a huge fan of Bob Ross and sat under his teaching for years. I loved to watch him paint his happy clouds and little trails for squirrels to frolic down (but, who didn’t?).
In high school, I took every art elective that I could and painted every wall in my bedroom at the encouragement of my mom. In there you could find anything from Pink Panther ripping through the wall, Marvin the Martian peeking out from my dresser, to Scooby Doo surprising you when you closed the door.
As a young artist, I was inspired by Surrealism and the works of artists like Salvador Dali. I admired their ability to use imagination to conjure up scenes that could create the experience of glimpsing into another world. I deeply admired the way that they could tell a story or hide a message in a painting, turning it into a fascinating puzzle for audiences to figure out.
After my mother Brenda passed away from cancer in 2013 my life was changed forever. It was her passing that began a great revival for art in my life. Art became a form of grieving and way to cry out to God.
With the help of my family we transformed our garage into an incredible space for me to paint in and, ever since, it has been my oasis for painting, grieving, and growing in my love for the Lord and in the talents He has given me.
Redemptive Form
Every painting I do is initially inspired by a part of the Bible, a song, or a poem that points to God. Usually, my muse is a Bible verse that has impacted me or that I have been meditating on. Sometimes, an old hymn that I hear will motivate me as the lyrics create an image in my head that I am soon longing to transfer onto a big, beautiful piece of canvas. I must confess: I could swoon over a sizable canvas. You may notice that many of my pieces are quite large.
My absolute favorite medium to work with is acrylics, but I desperately want to try oils as well, so please stay tuned! I also love to add unique touches to my paintings such as thick, complex textures, tree bark, sand, glitter, gems, metallic or iridescent paints, or bright swashes of color. My canvases can be gallery wrapped forms to unusual pieces of wood, or I can forgo those and paint straight onto walls for colorful children’s murals.
Each painting takes hours of planning, layering up textures, and painting, and throughout the entire process, I strive for art that directs the viewer to a deeper love of God.
Redemptive Mission
Redemptive Artistry was born from three of my passions: love for God, love for painting, and love for helping others. God has blessed me in so many ways, but nothing will ever outshine the day that He redeemed me, and I believed in Jesus Christ as my Savior. The most natural and obvious way for me to show my thankfulness to God is to serve Him with my time and talents. I love to paint and do anything artistic, and I want to use this second passion to serve and give back to others for the glory of God, my first passion.
These intentions lead me to my third passion, helping others. God has laid on my heart a great burden for wanting to help rescue women and children from dangerous situations, specifically human trafficking. Therefore, a portion of every painting will help redeem and give hope to the hopeless and lost. Some organizations that I support are International Sanctuary, A Voice For The Innocent, Sira, Compassion International, and Created Gainesville.
Thank you for being apart of my mission to create art with a redemptive message of encouragement and a redemptive purpose to rescue women and children.