Shelly Hart - Illustration
Shelly Hart was born and raised in Newtown, CT. Her style of drawing ranges from realistic to anime and carries influences such as pop-culture, macabre, punk, 90’s nostalgia, and most importantly her own personal struggles with life and death in the form of a chronic condition. Several of her drawings have been created through painful experience and that is what gives them so much bearing in my heart.
I had the pleasure to sit down and speak with her recently. I asked how old she was to start (mind you, I should know this answer - I have known Shelly for over 10 years of my life) She with her constant wit and sarcasm, smiled and laughed sarcastically “Should I lie?”, Shelly is on her 30th trip around the sun this year. She has mentioned how funny it was that she studied Graphic Design in School (resulting in an Associate's in Graphic Design) because she now focuses primarily on traditional arts, drawing mainly. When asked what her area’s of expertise are she, again, with a grand smile and a glint of sarcasm responded “Fire spinning, hula hooping….and I CAN BREAK DANCE LIKE NOBODY ELSE!!!!”. This of course, is such a typical response from Shelly, who, unlike myself is able to see how hilariously tragic this life is.
Q: What is your inspiration?
A: Music has a huge influence on Shelly’s work, “I listen to anything ranging from Metal, Country, Jazz to Ragtime, believe it or not” She also mentioned colors are inspired by music. “What else” I ask. She mentions drawing unbelievable inspiration from other working artists; skateboard decks, makeup artists, performance artists, and documentaries.
When asked if she wanted to mention anything else about her work, she again laughs and says in a voice unrecognizable to hers, “What is life without dark???”...typical Shelly.
If you would like to contact Shelly for commissions, prices or have any questions, please email her at shellyhartparadise@gmail.com. You can also find her on Facebook as Shelly Hart and follow her on Instagram @ShellyHarts.
