About
I reside in Southport, NC and am a resident artist at bardanigalleryartists.com located at 715 Howe St, Southport. It is an art school, working studio for 14 local artists and a gallery.
For as long as I can remember, I wanted to create. Painting, drawing, weaving, sewing, beading, making puzzles, were all my way of creating my own little world. Growing up with artistic parents and one of nine children, I can look back and say with certainty, it was my way of finding my independence- my voice..
I began painting in high school and was greatly influenced by my older brother Greg, who was a beautiful, gifted artist.
I learned to weave when taking class at Roberton Museum & Science Center in Binghamton, NY. I made my own clothes, having learned to sew at The Singer Sewing School in NYC.
I used the two to create one-of-a-kind pieces- again the independence theme.
In college I studied painting and continued my creative journey. I made dolls, wall hangings and murals which I used to decorate my home. Later, when I moved to Rome, Italy, I taught myself to use watercolor. As I traveled quite a bit then; I began collecting unusual objects to use in my art. This led to creating jewelry using antique buttons and semi-precious stones.
When I left Rome, I spent several years in Montauk, NY at the beach writing about my experiences abroad. Walking the beach there, I collected shells and stones which led to the creation of the Shelly Puzzles.
Currently, I am using oil to create my abstract paintings. I love color and am greatly influenced by current events, the nature around me as well as my fellow artists, in particular my partner, josephbardani.com