Gail Shelley

How would you describe your background?

I grew up in NH until I went to high school in West Virginia. I moved back shortly after graduation. A few years later I met my husband and I have lived in Westmoreland, NH, with him for over 30 years. I got my degree in Criminal Justice at Franklin Pierce College (before it became a university). I raised two wonderful men that still live locally. I worked in Keene for most of those years.

When did you know you wanted to be an Artist?

I went to a paint night with my sister-in-law about 7 years ago and remembered how much I had loved painting in high school. I went and got some supplies and once I got started I was hooked. I left my full-time job managing Hannah Grimes Marketplace in 2022 to build my art business, Gail Shelley Art.

What would surprise people to learn about you?

I was a hairdresser for many years and still have my license. Contrary to that I majored in Criminal Justice in College and worked in that field for a few years.

How would you describe your art to someone that has never seen it?

I paint natural and fantasy landscapes. I love color, detail and serene settings. I often use photos as a reference. Sometimes I will pull different aspect of multiple photos into my compositions and sometimes I just use my imagination. I like to use an oil glaze over my acrylic base paintings. The acrylics allow me to get great details and the oils give a luminous quality and a softness to edges and colors.

What achievements in the area of art are you proudest of?

I was very proud to be accepted into the Art in the Park yearly event in Keene for the last several years. I have also shown my art in Peterborough Art in the Park and several other local art events. It’s always exciting to be accepted.

I won the Thorne-Sagendorph Art Earth Day Challenge in 2021.

Finally, I was very happy and proud when the founder of Hannah Grimes Marketplace, Mary Ann Kristiansen, told me I needed to put my own art up on the walls after I had been managing about 6 months. She said, “What are you waiting for?”

How would you describe your art process?

I see a photo or imagine a place that interests me and start to work out the composition. Sometimes I draw it before I put it on canvas. Then I work from the back of the painting towards the front. I work in layers and save highlights for last. I often work on a couple paintings at a time, while one is drying I go to the other. I try to step back from my paintings often and look from a distance to keep perspective. I also like to step away and come back with fresh eyes, that’s when I notice things that need to be adjusted. I also have a few people I rely on to give me honest feedback as I go along.

I mostly paint on canvas but I have also painted on slate, panels and wood. At Christmas time I paint ornaments and in warmer months I do paint pours on vases and canvas. It’s fun to switch things up and it keeps my creative juices flowing.

What is your usual studio/working day like?

I like to start painting after I have my morning coffee. I am really fortunate to have an art studio in my home with a lot of windows and really good artists’ lights so I can paint late in the summer and winter months too. My painting sessions go from minutes to several hours depending on where I’m at in the process and what else I need to get done. I also schedule time to do paperwork for the business, matting, framing, and putting together and delivering orders, etc.  And I still work outside my home two afternoons a week.

What is the most delightful part of your life outside of work?

I really enjoy my people! My husband and kids are very cool humans and I have a great friend group. I also love traveling and spending time outdoors in the warmer months, (I hibernate in winter). I practice Qigong regularly and do yoga and meditation.