I’m back with my latest Artist Spotlight Series featuring an amazing talent that is long overdue!

Her colorful works speak to me.

Enjoy getting to know. 

Shelby Monteverde

Memphis. Tennessee 

What is your training?

I have been drawing and painting ever since I can remember! I took interest early on in art and am lucky to have received a lot of affirmation growing up from family and friends. My grandfather is an artist so I believe I inherited much of my natural, creative abilities and desires from him.

I attended the University of Memphis where I minored in Art. My favorite classes were by far my art classes, and if I could go back I would take each and every art class offered! It’s often hard for me to concisely answer this question because I believe my training is a combination of naturally gifted, self taught, and formally trained.

What inspires you and your designs?

My paintings are inspired by the world around me. Most often, it’s the simple, quiet moments of life that strike me the loudest. The way the sun interacts with a laundry basket, the grazing geese you drive by on your morning commute, the composition of oranges in the grocery store… are all visual snapshots that beg me to stop and pay attention to the beauty present in the unglorified moments of raw life.

My curiosity is peaked by fashion, interior design, color, pattern, light/shadow, relationships, animals, nature, nostalgia, and home. However, these things that inspire me are always changing and expanding. I try not to ask too many questions along the way and just trust the inner guide that is leading me there and do my best to enjoy the process.

 What is your favorite piece? 

(Yet to be named!) 36 x 48 acrylic

How has your area influenced your work?

I believe the main reason Memphis has influenced me is because it is my home, has always been my home, and will always be my home. I’m a major homebody and find comfort in familiarity, which is evident in my art. I love seeing the same things everyday and noticing the subtle changes as time passes.

 

For anyone who has spent much time in Memphis, they’ll eventually find themselves saying, “Memphis is the biggest small town.” And this is especially the case when you’ve grown up here. It’s a big enough city to have fun things to do yet it’s small enough to not feel like you’re getting lost in it. And I like that about it, especially as an artist. I’m not totally sure how that directly influences my work, but as someone who is easily intimidated and modest about her talents, being in a big, overwhelming city, I may never have had the audacity to step out as an artist, knowing there were so many others trying to do the same thing as me.

 

What is your favorite restaurant in Memphis?

Ecco on Overton Park has my favorite pasta dish in all the land.

 

What is your favorite cocktail? 

Moscow Mule partly because of the copper cups and mostly because it tastes kinda like sprite and not that much like alcohol.

 

How do you balance personal life and work?

The easiest step I’ve learned in balancing personal life and work is to have a studio away from home. For a season I worked and lived in the same space and hated it. Certain things I can only do at the studio and I need that boundary set for me because I tend to overwork and have a hard time compartmentalizing. Like I said, my home is so important to me. It’s a place of returning and rest for me and with my studio practice there too I feel emotionally clausterphobic.

Dream trip?

My favorite movie is About Time. The setting is split between London and Cornwall. I would love to see London for a day, but spend all the other days skipping rocks and having tea and biscuits on the Cornish coast. If you haven’t seen that movie, you must!

Dream commission?

If someone came to me right now with a family of dalmatians they wanted painted I would say yes, yes, yes! And it would have to be at least 4 x 6 foot. And they would let me have complete artistic freedom. And maybe too they would be famous.

Your favorite host / hostess gift to give?

This was the easiest question to answer…Candle! I love candles and I give them because I want them. And I assume everybody wants what I want right? And maybe I’ll just keep it for myself anyway… My two favorite candles are Capri Blue Volcano

and Votivo Red Currant.

Who is your style icon?

Gosh… this one is hard! I feel like I have a lot of style icons. I’d say if Anthropologie were a person, she’d be it. And aside from that, I always copied my older cousin Kirby if I could because she dresses so cool, effortlessly.

Your favorite up and coming artist?

She may be passed up and coming, but I have been loving Elizabeth Endres work.

As well as Sophie Treppendahl and Katherine Dunlap, just to name a few!

 What is your most treasured possession?

I’d have to say my wedding bands. I really can’t imagine anything happening to them! I love my ring and what it symbolizes so much.

What are you reading?

“Walking in This World: The Practical Art of Creativity” by Julia Cameron

What are you listening to?

I’m usually all over the place with music. But my most recent Spotify searches are Brandi Carlile, Lauren Daigle, Sheryl Crow, and Adele.

What are your favorite blogs / publications?

Hmmmm. Anthropologie mags, Architectural Digest, A Well-Traveled Woman, Stephanie Sabbe on Instagram.

 

Check out her incredible work…Be sure to follow on her website and Instagram. 

Daily Desires:

 Let’s get friendly on Facebook, Twitter,  Pinterest, & Instagram.

 Please feel free to contact The English Room if you are interested in our interior design services.