Wendy Spivey-Shelley is an award winning, American Impressionist artist who has become known for her use of vibrant, rich colors. Her viewers get a taste of Early Americana style painting with an impressionistic view of authentic Southern living. She paints a variety of subjects to demonstrate the privilege and the unique diversity that comes with both Southern lifestyle living and Lowcountry Coastal living. Although composition and design are her strong suits, Wendy captures sparkling light effects against rich, deep, dark contrasts; all the while pushing bright, vibrant colors to create cheerful works of art. She is always in constant observation for subject matters with good design and composition.
Wendy uses oils and acrylics as she paints from life, en’plein air, photographs and cherished memories. Taking from her own life experiences for inspiration, she paints to preserve her family’s prominent heritage that carries deep family roots along the Grand Strand and surrounding areas. Wendy’s work not only entertains the viewer’s eye with dancing impressionistic strokes, it also makes strong emotional connections as it tells her Southern stories.
Born in 1968 in Myrtle Beach, SC, Wendy Shelley has always had an inclination for being creative. She is passionate about painting and greatly enjoys her work, whether it’s in the quiet seclusion of her home studio, out in the fresh air of the country, beside the river’s edge of the Waccamaw, or taking in the gentle breeze of the salt air down at the coast.
During the late 1980s, at the age of 19, Shelley completed her education for visual design at Bauder College in Atlanta, GA. For over 25 years, collectively, she worked as a residential and commercial interior designer. Painting decorative concrete walls and murals for clients was common for her during that time. Along the way, she won many design awards for parade of homes in North Carolina and South Carolina. Wendy began her fine art painting career in 2006 on a part-time basis, and today she paints full time. Since then, she has also won several awards for her art. She has been featured in several magazines, news articles, and other publications, which include the 2018 spring edition cover of Low Country Companion Magazine, The Carolina Forest Chronicles, The Loris Scene, and others. Her original works and printed reproductions can be found in private homes, on yachts, and in businesses across the country and abroad. She also has work in galleries, furniture stores, marinas, and in specialty shops along the East Coast.
Wendy has exhibited in numerous venues across many states in the US. She is a member of the Seacost Artist Guild, Waccamaw Artist Guild, and Waterway Association. She is the founder and President of ARC Ministries (Artist Reaching for Christ). Her other prestigious affiliations and contributions include: South Carolina Wildlife Association, American Heart Association, Brookgreen Gardens, and others.