Shelley Himmelstein

My paintings are based on the space I move through, often from my travels. Working intuitively, I use the nature of materials as an equal partner along with memory, sketches, and photographs, sometimes layering and colliding impressions, sometimes pulling in close on a single detail. Over time each mark, perfect or imperfect, builds on the last, leading to an abstract distillation — a “Shelley” space — in which I discover more about visual experience and perception — and, I hope, invite others to explore further for themselves.

My interest is always in the space we move through. My paintings often present an abstract culmination of that vis