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Born and raised in the small French town of
Presque Isle, off the coast of southern Maine, Shelbee grew up with
rich artistic traditions. Her mother, an interior designer, was her
first great inspiration. They would spend hours examining the
intricate work of God in the face of the tiniest flowers. Her father
left the high-tech computer industry to open a specialty store
featuring fine furniture and accessories.
Shelbee's only sister is an artist and the
owner of a company that distributes art. Claude Almand, her uncle,
was an art professor in Connecticut and Shelbee remembers being
exposed to his work early on. After high school graduation, Shelbee
majored in art at the University of Southern Maine. Greatly
encouraged by Art Prof. David Schneider, she later apprenticed with
Downeast Design Resources and with Colores International. Marriage
brought Shelbee to Taos in the early 90's where her work has been
influenced by strong Christian roots, the power and simplicity of
the land and her newly found Spanish heritage.
An abstract painter who entered the Taos Open
Show, in 1997 Shelbee was honored with the People's Choice Award.
She has exhibited at various shows and galleries around the world
including N.Y.; Atlanta; Birmingham, England; the Caribbean; and of
coarse here in the Southwest! Her work can be seen in Taos at the
Michael McCormick Gallery. In her painting, Shelbee desires to show
movement and change through a mixture of mediums and textures to
create a sense that 'life' is occurring, even as we stop to view it.
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SHELBEE MARES |
