Bio

 

I create geometric abstract paintings as well as monotypes and ink drawings in my studio near Santa Fe, New Mexico. I think of my work as colorful, handmade minimalism.

My practice of art is enriched by an extremely varied background. After growing up in Texas and the San Francisco Bay Area, I worked or studied in places as different as upstate New York, West Africa, London, Los Angeles, Berkeley, and New Mexico, where I live now. I also traveled widely in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.

Everywhere I went, I learned from art in its cultural context, whether in a Japanese temple or in the great museums of Europe. My experience as a Peace Corps volunteer in Ghana was particularly rich in influences: the geometric abstraction of African sculpture, the polyrhythms of West African music, and the color sensibility of modern African printed fabrics.

Before becoming an artist, I received a B.A. in economics and history and an M.A. in African studies, did graduate work in Middle Eastern history at the University of London, and worked as a freelance writer, business librarian, and editor. I studied painting, drawing, and color theory in the Bay Area and began exhibiting in 1994.

My award-winning work has been shown in more than 75 exhibits around the U.S. This blog/website shows my work from mid-2008 through the present. For older work, see www.absolutearts.com/danielleshelley

(Photo: Dave Robinson)