Brazosport Art League opens Illusions of Reality, a solo exhibit by local artist Sherry Shelton, in the gallery this week. Featuring close to 50 pieces of art, the show runs through Sunday, October 15.

An opening week reception is slated for Sunday, September 17 from 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM in the gallery. The public is invited to join Sherry and her friends & family to see the art, meet the artist and enjoy refreshments.

Tickets to the gallery are FREE. To help us record visitor demographics, please register in The Center lobby when you arrive or pre-register online. Hours of operation are 11:00 AM – 3:00 PM, Tuesday through Saturday, and 2:00 – 5:00 PM on Sunday.

ABOUT THE ARTIST:

Artist Sherry Shelton drew and painted from the time she was a child. ln high school, she discovered she had the imagination and talent for being able to express herself with visual creation better than the spoken word. After graduation, most of her time was put into marriage and the rearing of her children. When the two boys were settled into school routines, however, she went back to painting full time.

Sherry soon established a reputation as an accomplished portrait artist and during the late 1970s, she had the opportunity to study with many well-known artists. Two trips to Europe culminated in the delivery of a commissioned painting to clients in Ascona, Switzerland and led to the invitation to travel, visit and study there for two more years. Her many travels across the United States, Canada and Europe have been recorded on canvas, paper and on film.

Sherry’s mural work can be seen in many school libraries, businesses and homes in and across Texas. Her mural in the Stephen F. Austin Elementary School, painted in 1990, was featured on television show “The Eyes of Texas”. In 1997, Sherry received a grant from the Texas Commission of the Arts to paint an outdoor mural in Marshall for the Harrison County Boys and Girls Club facility.

ln 2007 and 2009, respectively, Sherry painted murals in the Danbury Elementary and Middle School libraries, followed by a mural for the American Legion, Post 241, in Angleton in 2010. ln 2013, the City of Lake Jackson commissioned her to paint an outdoor mural as part of the city’s 75th birthday celebration. ln 2016, she was commissioned to paint the children’s section of Lake Jackson’s public library, illustrating 60 children’s fairy tale stories.

Sherry enjoys painting all subjects and in all mediums, but says her favorite is likely painting portraits in oil.

“lt is my goal to make all paintings as strong in design and art theory as possible and I work to make every portrait or painting a good one, as well as a good likeness of the sitter or subject matter. I try to make each and every painting speak to the viewer and make the strongest statement possible with the chosen subject and medium.”