Shelly Pinto

 After graduating from KCAI with a painting degree and working at Hallmark Cards, I co-founded with my husband a handmade paper company called Shizen Design. The company designs and sells screen print papers from India.  I use these papers in my mixed media paintings. The merging of the exotic surface patterns and the culture of India has imparted designs that blend together my history and cultural experiences to create a truly international and unique vision in my artwork. 
 

Patterns, colors, and shapes provide links to my history, my environment, and my inner thoughts.

I begin my mixed media paintings by mixing colors, cutting shapes, and overlapping patterns.  The process of layering and mixing reveals an inner calm and also a connection to the world.  I find that patterns and repetition represent an historical structure and insight into life's interlocking balance. I often see my artwork as a colorful kaleidoscope that I adored as a child.