02 Apr Stephenson Showcase: “Senses in Nature” by Shelley Feeney
It can be difficult to slow down when life seems to move faster every year. With a fast-filling calendar it often feels like there is no time to stop and smell the roses. We come out of these winter months hustling and bustling as our environment likewise blooms. Artist Shelley Feeney finds peace when she slows down and savors small moments outdoors. Light through trees, shadows dancing on the ground, and more are celebrated in her upcoming showcase exhibit, Senses in Nature.
Shelley herself leads a busy career. In addition to being a wife, mother and three, and an art teacher at Hamilton Southeastern Schools for nineteen years, she still finds time to create. Her background is in printmaking but she has begun exploring painting in the last five years.
Color and nature heavily influence her process and style. Shelley notes that she always has painted in oils, and while she began traditionally with brushes, she now uses her “fingers and palette knives to create bold movement and a heavy, impasto texture”. Bright hues are blended into thick swoops, bends, and strokes that organically emulate scenes from nature.
Finding and grounding herself in peace is at the core of this collection’s work. Shelley’s daily runs and more intermittent travels allow her to find moments where she can appreciate “the simple pleasures that surround us”. Such moments provide respite and levity to an otherwise hectic life. Her paintings strive to capture this notion. Vibrant palettes “intertwined with exaggerated textures” invite introspective viewers to linger and ruminate.
This showcase includes several vivid, striking pieces that encourage visitors to go out and find the beauty all around us. The Senses in Nature exhibit is showing at the Meyer Najem Second Floor Gallery from April 4-27, 2025. Meet Shelley at her free public reception on Friday, May 9, from 6-8 p.m.