Shelly Wierzba grew up in an artistic household. Her mother was a well know oil painter in the San Francisco Bay Area. She spent many hours doing homework in the Palo Alto Art Club and helping her mom tote her large paintings to competitions and exhibits from Carmel to San Francisco.
Wierzba didn’t consider art as a career as a young person, and it wasn’t encouraged. Instead her path led to the medical field and she dabbled in painting as a pastime until she retired in 2000.
“I believe that being around a lot of art growing up developed my ‘artistic eye’ in a very subconscious way,” Wierzba explained. “When I started painting full time, I would look at my painting and know that there was something wrong, but not know what it was or how to fix it. Through years of experience I’ve come to appreciate that when one understands, and can deftly use the basic fundamentals, and then elevate those with a concept that is connected to their personal vision and soul, that is when a piece of ‘art’ has been created. That’s the challenge motivates me.”
Oil paints have replaced the watercolor paints for the last two years. She loves painting in plein air (outside) which affords the opportunity to spend more time with her fly fishing husband. You may see her set up on the Deschutes River or one of our local lakes. This coming year she wants to experiment with painting more downtown Bend scenes.
“I love Bend and feel very grateful to live here. Central Oregon is a painters paradise,” Wierzba adds.
Wierzba is a juried member of the Watercolor Society of Oregon, the Federation of Western Watercolor Societies and the High Desert Art League. Her work is represented by the Red Chair Gallery in Bend.