Shellan’s obsession is for watercolor—loose, exuberant, and passionate color to create works that are both emotional and lively. She works “large and wet,” starting with two-inch brushes, thoroughly soaked 300-pound paper, and ample quantities of paint. One of her favorite techniques is to paint without wearing her glasses.

“This helps me keep the big shapes in mind,” she explains. “A good painting is more than the sum of its parts. My aim is to move the spark of humanity from the brush to the paper as directly and authentically as possible, and I will do whatever it takes.”

Though she has been painting only since 1999, Shellan has won numerous awards. During this past year alone:

• her painting “Night Lights” was juried into the Northwest Watercolor Society Waterworks Exhibition, where it won the Strathmore Award
• She received the coveted Signature Membership from the NWWS
• her painting “Determination” was chosen as the Poster for the Shoreline Arts in Bloom Festival
• her painting “Marymoor Morning” is permanently displayed as part of Evergreen Hospital’s Wall of Watercolor

In addition, Shellan is now represented in two more galleries in Western Washington; Scott Milo Gallery in Anacortes and Williams Gallery in Port Townsend.

Shellan’s work ranges from landscape to still life to portrait. Her landscape triptychs, some measuring nine feet wide, reside in private collections throughout the Pacific Northwest. In fact, multi-piece installations are a bit of a specialty for Shellan, especially her popular box paintings.

“I adhere my painting to a two-inch-deep box, paint the sides with acrylic to match the painting, and then varnish the whole piece,” she explains. “This produces a full wrap-around look. Your view of the painting is direct, not filtered by glass or influenced by the presence of a matt.” Many of the box paintings (floral, still life, and landscape) are composed in groups up to nine boxes, with images “leaping the space” from box to box to create a coherent whole.

“If you feel excited about life, your paintings come out that way,” Shellan adds. “I feel grateful every day to have discovered watercolor!”

Contact: Joanne Shellan

425.681.5086
joanne.shellan@verizon.net

January 2009

Resume

Exhibitions

• Anacortes Arts Festival Juried Exhibition Anacortes, WA 2008
  
• Heritage Gallery Tulip Festival Group Show Mount Vernon, WA 2008
  
• Arts of Snohomish Invitational Marine Show Snohomish, WA 2008
  
• Scott Milo Gallery Group Show Anacortes WA 2008
  
• Northwest Watercolor Society Open Exhibition Seattle WA 2006, 2007
  
• Northwest Watercolor Society Waterworks Seattle WA 2007
  
• Kaewyn Gallery solo show Bothell WA 2007
  
• NWWS Signature Member Show Seattle WA 2007
  
• West Coast Paper Show Seattle WA 2006, 2007
  
• Kindred Circle Art Gallery solo show Edmonds WA 2005, 2006
  
• Kirkland Arts Center Main Gallery group show Kirkland WA 2005
  
• Art of our Mothers Show Edmonds WA 2005, 2006, 2008
  
• Kirkland Artist Studio Tour Kirkland WA 2004-present
  
• Enumclaw’s 12th Annual Juried Art Exhibit Enumclaw WA 2005
  
• Kenmore Art Show Kenmore, WA 2005-present
  
• Snohomish Art of the Garden exhibit Everett WA 2004, 2005, 2006
  
• Eastside Assoc. of Fine Arts Open Show 2003, 2006
  
• Eastside Assoc. of Fine Arts Member Show 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008
  
• Eastside Assoc. of Fine Arts Healing Exhibit 2003, 2004, 2006
  
• Parklane Gallery Featured Artist Show Kirkland WA 2005, 2007
  
• Edmonds Art Fair Juried Show Edmonds WA 2004
  
• Kirkland Performance Center solo show Kirkland WA 2003
  
• Solo show, Triple J Café Kirkland WA 2003
  
• Kirkland Arts Center Holiday/Member Show 2001-present

Awards & Honors

• Art of our Mothers 1st Place Award 2008
  
• NWWS Waterworks Show Strathmore Award 2007
  
• Northwest Watercolor Society Signature Membership 2007
  
• Poster for Shoreline Arts in Bloom Festival 2007
  
• Evergreen Hospital Wall of Watercolor permanent exhibit 2007
  
• Honorable Mention, Kenmore Art Show 2005, 2007
  
• Honorable Mention, Arts of Snohomish Show 2006
  
• International Artist/ ADG Printing Award NWWS Open Show 2006
  
• Chuck Webster Award, Eastside Assoc. of Fine Arts Member Show 2006
  
• Poster for EAFA show 2006
  
• Honorable Mention, Eastside Assoc. of Fine Arts Member Show 2004

Gallery Representation

• Scott Milo Gallery, Anacortes WA 2008- present
  
• Heritage Gallery, Mt. Vernon WA 2008- present
  
• Williams Gallery, Port Townsend WA 2007- present
  
• Manya Vee Selects, Edmonds WA 2005- present
  
• Kaewyn Gallery, Bothell WA 2006- present
  
• Parklane Gallery, Kirkland WA 2004- 2007

Education

Fine Arts Degree minor WSU, Studied under Joan Archer, William Hewson, Jeanne Davis, Zoltan Szabo, John Ringen, Eric Wiegardt, Alan Rushing

Memberships

• Eastside Association of Fine Arts
• Kirkland Arts Center
• Northwest Watercolor Society
• Kirkland Artist Studio Tour Executive Committee