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Shelley Irish

Painting / drawing / mixed media (2 dimensional)

Artist Statement

I work in oils, using a combination of master’s and mische techniques. I paint thin and sand the surface in between layers, using glazes to build colorful luminosity.

I started ‘disappearing’ while painting as a young girl and the effects of the creative process on the brain have captivated me ever since. Deep meditation is the only thing I have been able to relate to these experiences.

My choice of subject matter comes from being emotionally moved by scenes in meditations, through shamanic journeying and tapping into the healing needed for the collective. I choose subjects that honor transcendental experiences, the connection of nature to healing, and the purity and strength of women.

I believe the female figure represents the sacredness of the world and that moon lovers are honoring an aspect of the sacred feminine.

My paintings act as bridges between the beauty of the natural world and the rawness of feeling and healing.

My foundational intention is to offer my art as yantras. As sacred images that act as touchstones to the parts of ourselves that are ready to return home. My wish is that you will find moments of peace through connecting with my artwork.

Artist Bio

Art was my first love. I've been drawing, painting and writing poetry as far back as I can remember. I started an LLC and rented my first studio gallery in an artist co-op in the Santa Fe Arts District in Denver in 2006. I earned an MFA from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco in 2009, and moved to Seattle in 2013.

I am now an internationally exhibiting oil painter, art teacher, certified therapeutic arts coach and meditation master guiding people in personal liberation through tools of the imagination.

I started the Art Garden in West Seattle in 2025, as a hub for advanced technical development and arts-based wellness. My intention for teaching is similar to my artistic goals: to be an instrument in uplifting the health and happiness of the world through the medicine of art-making.

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