BIO
BIO
Leslie Shellow was born in Washington DC and currently resides in Baltimore, Maryland. Her work consists of ink drawing on cut paper and panel, oil painting on panel, bookmaking, printmaking and cut paper installation. In her youth, Leslie had the opportunity to spend many weekends on and around the waters of the Chesapeake Bay. This early exploration in nature provided the foundation for her long-standing affinity for the outdoors.
Pulling her imagery from observations of nature, both in the visible world and through microscopes, Leslie addresses biological processes such as growth, decay and regeneration. Mold, lichen, corral, cells, viruses and bacteria are among the many natural elements that influence her work.
In 2019 Leslie was awarded the Maryland State Arts Council Individual Artist Award for Works on Paper, as well as, in 2016, 2013, and 2010. In 2017, she was selected as a Baker Artist Award Finalist and in 2015, a Sondheim Prize Semi-finalist.
In February 2018, Leslie spent 4 weeks at the Jentel Artist Residency in Sheridan, Wyoming, which led to her most recent solo exhibitions at the Gibbs Street Gallery at Vis Arts in Rockville, MD and the Greenbelt Community Center in Greenbelt, MD. Other notable contemporary art spaces in which Leslie’s work has been shown are The Delaware Center for Contemporary Art, Loyola University of Maryland, Goucher College, the National Institute of Health, Carroll Square Gallery in Washington DC, and Arlington Arts Center and Greater Reston Art Center in Virginia.
She holds an MFA in Painting from Towson University, a BFA from The Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) and a BA in Education from the Evergreen State College. Leslie was an adjunct professor at MICA for 10 years and is currently a matting and framing contractor for the Department of Paper Conservation at the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC.
ARTIST STATEMENT
During many walks in nature, I have used observational drawing and photography (see reference photos) to capture and store images and memories in my mind. What I choose to record is often based on particular processes associated with nature that interest me, such as repeated patterns and cycles, movement, competition for survival, growth, decay, harmony and discord. I am not just interested in what things look like but also how they feel and how they behave. Back in the studio, these observations from life inform dynamic abstractions that are composed spontaneously by combining a variety of materials. An array of different marks, colors, textures and layers incorporate both what I see in nature and how I experience it. I use acrylic ink because I enjoy its tendency to change and transform on its own, forcing me to let go of control. Collaged elements taken from cut portions of past drawings, vintage maps, tape and found paper become building blocks for playful arrangements that spontaneously evolve into imaginary formations.