Residency in Shenandoah National Park this Summer

I applied for a residency in Shenandoah National Park for this summer. Wish me luck! I hope the virus is not affecting our lives as much by then!

Recently, I began exploring the importance of trees as a natural resource in my current Tree Series of drawings. This is the project I hope to pursue with a residency at Shenandoah National Park. I hope to gather images in the Park and complete drawings to support my Tree Series.

In 2018, I altered my artistic focus on a weeklong art retreat in the Great Smokey Mountain National Park. Influenced by the surroundings, I wanted to educate and motivate people to care about the natural world enough to make changes in their lives to conserve our country’s natural resources.

The Series aims to increase awareness of and inspire exploration of the natural world. This directly supports the National Park Services mission to conserve unimpaired the natural and cultural resources and values of the National Park System for the enjoyment, education, and inspiration of this and future generations.

An integral part of the National Park Service’s missions is education, which is one of my core artistic and personal values.

I am experienced presenting to diverse groups and individuals in a variety of settings through demonstration and lecture for 15 plus years. I have inspired traditional and non-traditional students from middle school to college age and senior adults. Here are some groups I have presented to: Elder Gallery for Contemporary Art, NC School for the Deaf, Collinswood Language Academy, South Charlotte Middle School, Charlotte Public Library, Myers Park High School, Piedmont Open Middle School, Cub Scout Pack 1, Scouting Troop 1, Rowan Cabarrus Community College, the Art Institute of Charlotte and Southminster Retirement Community

I am interested in leading hikes or walks into the park to sketch or photograph directly from nature. In addition, I am glad to conduct programs using my art and artistic process to show how to view nature with a conscious focus.

During my time in Shenandoah National Park I plan to use a variety of media to communicate with the public. I will blog daily with photos and video of the park and my artistic work. I will share images, video and text three times a week on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. I have blogged about my art consistently since 2009 on www.bosbyshellart.blogspot.com. 

After the residency I will exhibit the drawings and paintings in my studio / gallery at the Charlotte Art League in Charlotte, NC. I will include work from the residency in future exhibits of the Tree Series.

My work has shown in numerous galleries, such as Elder Gallery, Shain Gallery and Central Piedmont College, as well as private and corporate art shows. I’ve been interviewed in American Artist Magazine, and the Charlotte Observer.