Hi, I’m Shellayne.

I didn’t always call myself an artist, but I have always been one.

I grew up on a small farm in Maryland without much, though I didn’t fully realize it at the time. My mother could make something out of nothing, and my father believed in the value of simply trying. He would often say that the only people who never fail are the ones who never try. That way of thinking stayed with me. It taught me to create from what I have and to see beauty in what others might overlook.

I have always been drawn to gathering. Acorns, pinecones, leaves, even weeds. I find meaning in things that are often passed by. More than anything, I have always loved creating a home. My husband and I started out in a worn-down trailer that had been empty for years. I painted the walls, made curtains, planted flowers and vegetables, baked, and even painted landscapes on our trash cans. Piece by piece, I turned it into something warm and lived-in. I made it a home.

That is what art is to me. A way of feathering the nest.

I have lived with ADHD my entire life and have explored many creative paths along the way, including floristry, cake design, and photography. I still love each of those, but painting is what quiets my mind the most. Sometimes I work with music or a podcast, sometimes with a Bible study, and often in silence. Painting allows me to simply be.

In a world that feels increasingly full and fast, I believe the home should be a place of calm. My work is created to bring a sense of peace, stillness, and warmth. Something that settles into a space and makes it feel complete.

As I enter a new season of life, with my daughters beginning paths of their own, I find myself stepping fully into the artist I always hoped to become.

I am drawn to the balance of old and new. My hope is that each piece carries both the joy of something fresh and the quiet familiarity of something that feels like it has always belonged.

I live in Middle Tennessee with my husband, and our daughters when they are home.