Danielle Shelley

I create geometric abstract paintings as well as monotypes and ink drawings in my studio near Santa Fe, New Mexico. I think of my work as colorful, handmade minimalism.

My practice of art is enriched by an extremely varied background. After growing up in Texas and the San Francisco Bay Area, I worked or studied in places as different as upstate New York, West Africa, Los Angeles, London, and Berkeley. I also traveled widely in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.

Everywhere I went, I learned from art in its cultural context, whether in a Japanese temple or in the great museums of Europe. My experience as a Peace Corps volunteer in Ghana was particularly rich in influences: the geometric abstraction of African sculpture, the polyrhythms of West African music, and the color sensibility of modern African printed fabrics.

Before becoming an artist, I received a B.A. in economics and history and an M.A. in African studies, did graduate work in Middle Eastern history at the University of London, and worked as a freelance writer, business librarian, and editor. I studied painting, drawing, and color theory in the Bay Area and began exhibiting in 1994.

My award-winning work has been shown in more than 75 exhibits around the U.S.




The Office of Art in Embassies is not responsible for, and does not endorse, any content posted within the service. The Office of Art in Embassies does not have any obligation to prescreen, monitor, edit, or remove any content.