Statement

Line and color. Plants and the ordinary. These impulses prompt my work.  Living in a rural environment, you both witness the wonders of the natural world and learn to be resourceful with what is readily available. This lesson has a profound impact on my work as an installation artist whose practice combines mixed media drawing with subjects from nature and daily life.

An affinity for nature rooted in memories and values initiates my work, which is also heavily influenced by the prominence of embellishment, pattern, and repetition found in ordinary objects. Linear, graphic pattern often replaces realistic detail to develop character and clarity. From those found in nature to those in our homes, plants are typically the primary subject, and one with which many relate due to our need for nature to sustain wellness. A variety of media are implemented to produce the sharp, clean lines fundamental to the desired aesthetic including Micron pen, India ink, and cut paper. Installation works release the drawings from the wall and provide an immersive sensory experience which allows the audience to move around, within, and to interact with the work, affording room for contemplation. Common, repurposed, economically accumulated materials are used as primary components to expand the work’s dialogue and create an approachable, relatable, and enriching experience for the audience.

I am driven to accentuate the ordinary, to highlight how the overlap in the supposed mundane of our individual lives unites us. A plant and its shadow reflect that, however simple, there is great value in the surroundings and experiences that occupy our existence. Through a combined practice of mixed media drawing and installation, these themes converge.

Bio

Shelley Caldwell has engaged with the arts from an early age. She earned both a BFA and MA in Drawing and Installation from Minnesota State University, Mankato, where she has also served as adjunct faculty in the Art Department. Her work has been featured in numerous exhibitions throughout greater Minnesota in venues such as the 410 Project, SooVAC, the Carnegie Art Center, Arts Center of Saint Peter, Paradise Center for the Arts, Hutchinson Center for the Arts, The Grand Center for Arts & Culture, The Waseca Art Center, Hallberg Center for the Arts, Red Rock Center for the Arts, Austin ArtWorks Center, and others. She held residency at the Tofte Lake Center outside Ely, MN for summer 2019. Shelley received grants in 2018 and 2020 from the Prairie Lakes Regional Arts Council and, most recently, was awarded state grants from both Springboard for the Arts and the Minnesota State Arts Board. Compelled by the surrounding landscape, she presently works from her family farm in rural Faribault county.