
Shirley Felts

EDUCATION:
BA of Fine Art, University of Texas
Graphic Design, San Francisco College of Fine Art
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SELECTED EXHIBITIONS:
The Empire Collection, New York
Rockport Center for Fine Arts, Rockport, Texas
The Old Fire Engine Houise, Ely, England
St John Smith Square, London
Anna Mei Chadwick Gallery, London
Woodlands Art Gallery, London
Washington Arts Centre, Cumbria
LYC Museum, Cumbria
Alex Gerrard Fine Art, East Sussex, England
Nelson Rockefeller Gallery, New York
Morrell Gallery, Dallas, Texas
El Sol Gallery, Corpus Christi, Texas
National Gallery, Georgetown, Guyana
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SELECTED GROUP SHOWS:
The Royal Watercolour Society, Bankside, London
The Royal Academy Summer Exhibition, London
The Royal Institute of Painters in Watercolour, London
Blackheath Concert Halls, London
Singer Friedlander, RCA, London
Open Studios, Rocque Lane, London
LYC Museum, Cumbria
Treg Aquarelle International, France
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PUBLICATIONS:
Limited prints, posters and cards published and distributed worldwide
Over 100 books illustrated on natural history, fantasy, and fiction for adults and children
Conservation Book Award for THE BLUE WHALE
THE GIANT PANDA selected for illustrated books - Bienalle in Budapest
O BRASIL do IPE, and THE IWOKRAMA RAIN FOREST, both books of paintings published following artist in residence in Brazil and Guyana
Commonwealth Secretariat publication, article on Iwokrama rain forest paintings
Artists and Illustrators, article on rain forest paintings
Shirley Felts' work includes paintings of landscape and water, still life and rain forest. She enjoys painting in the field and filling sketchbooks documenting journeys, which form much of the reference material for work in the studio.
Shirley has had numerous exhibitions in England and The United States. Her work has been reproduced as Fine Art prints, posters and cards which have been distributed worldwide.
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Born in Welch, West Virginia, Shirley grew up in the countryside near Corpus Christi, Texas. She received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Texas, Austin in 1960, after which she studied graphic design at the California School of Fine Art, San Francisco. Shirley, her husband and family have lived in London since 1970.
Shirley paints in watercolour the landscapes of East Anglia, Cornwall, the Gulf and Hill Country of Texas and South American rain forests. She paints richly layered, atmospheric still life subjects. A long held interest in South American rain forests has influenced Shirley's work in recent years. Concentrating on the density of colour and forms in the Amazon forests of Guyana and Brazil, she often includes
bright glimpses of colour when the forest breaks and light comes through to reveal flowering lianas, heliconias and brightly coloured birds. She paints the light and reflections of forest rivers and lakes.
Her work is held in a number of public and private collections, including:
• The Offices of the President of Guyana, Bharrat Jagdeo
• The Offices of Iwokrama International Centre for Rain Forest Conservation and Development, Georgetown, Guyana
• The Offices of Instituto de Pesquisas Ecologicas, Sao Paulo, Brazil
• Holloman-Price Foundation, San Antonio, Texas
• Bethlehem Steel
• Walt Disney Productions
Shirley has illustrated many books for both adults and children. Her work has been published by The Art Group, Ltd, in the form of posters, limited Giclee prints and cards which have been distributed worldwide.
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COLLECTIONS:
Clare College, Cambridge
King’s School, Ely
Finbo Paper Company
Bethlehem Steel
London Artist’s Association
Esso Petroleum
Walt Disney Productions
The Office of the President of Guyana (the late Cheddi Jagan)
Instituto de Pesquisas Ecologicas, Brasil
The Holloman-Price Foundation, Texas
Private collections in USA, England, Japan, Australia, Guyana