Hi, I'm Shelena and welcome to my world of Painting.

My life as an artist started in 2002 after falling pregnant with my daughter Cassidy and being just 1 year after emigrating from New Zealand. Deciding to recall an interest from my teenage years in the drawing and design of fashion garments I soon found I was drawing and painting the female form. It took off quickly from there as I had finally found an outlet for both my creativity and my soul.

I soon started selling my artworks through galleries and cafes and when a year later we moved to Coolangatta on Queensland’s Gold Coast I ‘brazenly’ decided to open my own Gallery in mid 2003. It was a very precarious time as I had only been painting for one year and was self taught, but the wonderful comments I received about my artworks, plus a few sales, was all the encouragement I needed. A career highlight for me was being a finalist in the Gallipoli Art Prize in 2009 where I painted an Australian Digger portraying him, and our soldiers, as ‘The Real Super Heroes’. So much thought, effort and research went into that painting and it was the first real acceptance I had had into a major art prize.

My painting has always been about what takes me at the time - landscapes, portraiture, still life, abstract but a lot of my work now is commissioned. We are very fortunate to live across the road from the beach at North Kirra and this is where my studio is. Everyday looking out across the beach gives me a simple pleasure and the inspiration to tuck myself away and paint. I just adore the coastal lifestyle it totally suits my painting style. I get so immersed and focused in my painting that after 2-3 days straight my brain needs a day off and our situation allows me to do that – I’m very thankful.