Shelby's Biography

Impressionist Oil Painter

Shelby Keefe is a contemporary impressionistic painter, teacher and performance artist. Born in Whitewater, WI in 1958, she graduated in 1981 with a BFA from Cardinal Stritch University in Milwaukee, WI. After retiring from a career in graphic design in 2005, she operates her own art studio and exhibition space in Bay View, on the south side of Milwaukee. Her award-winning urban landscape paintings have earned her participation in prestigious national juried shows, plein air painting competitions, and arts festivals as well as garnering commission work for a variety of corporate clients and private collectors. Her oil paintings are found in collections such as The Bradley Foundation, Acuity, Northwestern Mutual, Ozaukee Country Club; WE Energies; University School of Milwaukee; and other businesses around Milwaukee, and in private collections in Wisconsin and around the country.

Artist Statement
"I am influenced by Impressionism and the brighter Fauvist palette and generally specialize in urban architectural subjects. I use my own photographs as reference as well as painting “en plein air”. My creative intentions are to put the viewer in the scene; transporting them to the location and transforming their mood through color and composition. I'm attracted to scenes where the subjects are dramatically lit, which adds a vibrancy and a sense of immediacy to the paintings. I like to apply the oils freely and liberally over brilliant acrylic underpaintings, creating a juxtaposition of contrasting colors that vibrate and illicit emotional engagement as well as excite the eye. I believe that a work of art has a longer lasting, "multi-generational wall life" when the viewer continually finds something new in the work, and the paint, itself, is allowed to do the “talking.”

Born: 1958, Whitewater, WI

Education: B.F.A. Cardinal Stritch University, Milwaukee, WI 1977-1981

Juried Exhibitions, Shows, Plein Air Competitions: (Selected)

2012, Sedona Plein Air Festival (invitational painting competition) Sedona, AZ
2012, Easels in Frederick, (juried plein air painting competition) Frederick, MD 2012, Wayne Plein Air Festival, (juried competition) Wayne, PA
2012, 2011, 2009, 2008, 2007, Door County Plein Air Festival (invitational painting competition) Fish Creek, WI
2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004, 2002, 2000, 1997 Lakefront Festival of Arts, Milwaukee, WI (juried art festival)
2011, “30 Paintings/30 Days,” Gunzel Gallery, Peninsula School of Art, Fish Creek, Door County, WI
2011, Featured Artist, July-August, Edgewood Orchard Galleries, Door County, WI
2011, Cedarburg Plein Air, “First Place, Paint the Festival Quick Draw” and “Honorable Mention”
2010, Plein Air Easton!, (juried plein air painting competition) Easton, MD
2010, Solo Show; Boerner Botanical Gardens, Milwaukee, WI
2009, Eastern Regional Oil Painters of America Exhibition; Corse Gallery, Jacksonville, FL
2009, Solo Show; Community Arts Center, Whitewater, WI
2009, Featured Artist; Alumni Exhibition; Cardinal Stritch University, Milwaukee, WI
2007, FORWARD: Survey of Wisconsin Art; Charles Allis Art Museum; Milwaukee, WI, “Visitor’s Choice Award”
2006, Featured Artist; Marquette & Ventana Gallery; Cincinnati, OH
2005, “Eight Counties” John Michael Kohler Arts Center; Sheboygan, WI, “Honorable Mention”
2004, Group Show, “Roe Sham Boe” ARTPOST, Grafton, WI
2002, Solo Show, Leinhouts Gallery, First Unitarian Society of Milwaukee, WI
2000, Invitational Group show, Studio San Damiano Art Gallery; Milwaukee, WI
1999, Solo show, Studio San Damiano Art Gallery; Milwaukee, WI
1996, Group show, Studio San Damiano Art Gallery, Milwaukee, WI

Honors/Accomplishments of Note:

2012, Easels in Frederick, received “Best Painting with an Architectural Subject”, Frederick, MD
2012, Wayne Plein Air Festival, received “Best of Show” and “Plein Air Magazine Award” (2 separate paintings were singled out)
2011-2012, Pfister Hotel Artist-In-Residence
2011, Rehoboth Beach Plein Air, DE, received “First Place”
2010, Poster Artist, Lakefront Festival of Arts, Milwaukee, WI
2010, Featured Artist, “Channel 10 Great TV Auction”, Milwaukee, WI
2006, Commemorative Poster Artist for the Cherry Creek Arts Festival; Denver, CO (poster received national recognition with a Bronze award)
2002, Selected to create 3 paintings for Professional Dimensions’ Sacagawea Award honoring pioneering women, Milwaukee, WI (commission)
2001, Cedarburg Plein Air, Cedarburg, WI, received “Best of Show”

Collections/Commissions: (selected)

2012, United Performing Arts Fund, commission to create 16 paintings for 2012 campaign, Milwaukee, WI
2010, Hide House Lofts, Milwaukee, WI, 2 paintings
2010, University School of Milwaukee, WI, 1 large-scale painting
2009, West Bend Mutual, West Bend, WI
2008, Northwestern Mutual, Franklin, WI, 3 paintings
2006, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Milwaukee, WI, 1 large-scale painting
2006, Milwaukee Art Museum, Milwaukee, WI, painting used for commemorative poster
2005, Foley & Lardner Law Offices, Milwaukee, WI, 6 paintings
2004, Northwestern Mutual, Milwaukee, WI, 4 paintings
2004, Acuity, Sheboygan, WI, 3 paintings
2003, Tripoli Country Club, Milwaukee, WI, 2 paintings
2003, Ozaukee Country Club on Ozaukee county themes; Mequon, WI, 19 paintings
2003, Radisson Hotel, Milwaukee, WI, 2 mural-sized paintings
2002, McNally, Maloney & Peterson, Milwaukee, WI, 4 paintings,
2001, Bradley Foundation, Milwaukee, WI, 3 paintings
1997, Habush, Habush, Davis & Rottier; Milwaukee, WI, 1 large-scale painting
1996, Allen-Bradley/Rockwell Automation; Milwaukee, WI, 3 paintings
1995, Cooke & Franke; Milwaukee, WI, 2 paintings
1992, White Memorial Library; Whitewater, WI
1991, WE Energies; Milwaukee, WI, 2 paintings
1981-2012, numerous patrons; rural and urban landscapes, and portraits (commissions & purchases)

Teaching:

2012-2003, Oil and Acrylic painting workshops for adults (in-studio and plein air), Milwaukee, WI
2012, 2011, Oil and Acrylic painting workshop, Cedarburg Cultural Center, Cedarburg, WI
2012-2006, Oil and Acrylic painting workshops, Peninsula School of Art Faculty, Fish Creek, Door County WI; 2002-1996, Painting and drawing classes, Studio San Damiano, Milwaukee, WI
1992, Painting classes, Museum of Wisconsin Art, West Bend, WI

Affiliations/Gallery Representation:

Board Member, Charles Allis/Villa Terrace Museums, Milwaukee, WI
Oil Painters of America, Associate Member
American Impressionist Society, Associate Member
Edgewood Orchard Galleries, Door County, WI (www.EdgewoodOrchardGalleries.com) Jack Arnold Fine Art, Rio Rancho, NM (www.jarnoldfineart.com)

Shelby Keefe: Performance Artist

“I have integrated my expertise as a painter and my mission to demystify the painting process by doing 30 x 30 inch “painting performance canvases”. These differ from demos in that I am not “instructing”, but “dancing on canvas” with my paints. In these performances, I create a finished oil painting to dynamic music in about 20 minutes and usually have good- sized audiences looking on. The resulting intuitive works are extremely loose, colorful and juicy representations of themes appropriate for the performance event. The combination of the “need for speed” and the pressure of being watched brings out an aspect of myself that doesn’t happen in the private comfort and calm surroundings of the studio or countryside. I want to explore this intuitive process much more deeply and on a larger scale in the coming years.”

Shelby's Biography

Impressionist Oil Painter

Galleries

Edgewood Orchard Galleries

Jack Arnold Fine Art

River's End Gallery