Hi, I'm Shelby.
Welcome to my world.
I’m a Pacific Northwest oil painter drawn to the strange places where nature, folklore, and imagination collide. My work explores mythic creatures, eerie forests, and abstract atmospheres that blur the boundaries of the real and the magical.
Original oil paintings are created for galleries and collectors, while high quality prints allow my art to travel far beyond the studio and into the homes of collectors around the globe.
From magical realism...
to the super abstract
...and everything in between.
Some of my paintings tell stories of cryptids hidden in forests and shadowed landscapes. Others dissolve into abstraction, capturing the atmosphere, color, and emotional energy of the natural world.
Upcoming Exhibitions
July 2026: Mortal Machine Art Gallery in New Orleans
"Signals From Elsewhere"
A process like none other.
Art should last forever.
To ensure mine does, I source the highest quality pigments from all corners of the earth. Following the process of Renaissance masters, I mix the pigments by hand into raw linseed oil.
Instead of buying store-bought canvases, I build the reinforced wooden frames myself to a standard that far exceeds the norm. My paintings are built to last many lifetimes.
About Me
I’m an oil painter based in Northwestern Washington State.
I graduated magna cum laude from Pitzer College in Claremont, California, where I earned a Bachelor’s degree in Organizational Studies. My academic work focused on how environments influence human perception and behavior, an idea that continues to shape the way I think about atmosphere, emotion, and the psychological experience of a painting.
Alongside my studio practice, I’ve built a large global audience online where I share my artwork and creative process. My paintings have been viewed hundreds of millions of times across social media, where I have a combined following of more than 400,000 people across platforms including Instagram, Threads, X, TikTok, YouTube, Reddit, and LinkedIn.
I’m also the host and creator of the podcast Chill Seeker, where I explore strange mysteries, folklore, conspiracies, dark history, news, and politics. Many of the stories I cover eventually find their way into my work.
Beyond painting, I’m an outspoken advocate for human rights and often use my platforms to engage in cultural and political conversations.
Stories Behind the Canvas
How folklore and strange encounters become art
Many of my paintings begin with a story. Sometimes it’s a piece of folklore, a cryptid sighting, or a mystery that refuses to fully explain itself. Other times inspiration comes from the fantasy worlds, films, and books that have shaped how I imagine worlds beyond ours. I spend a lot of time researching these stories, asking where they come from and why they continue to capture our attention. My hours of research can lead to a podcast episode, a painting, and often both.
If you’re interested in exploring more of these stories, check out my podcast Chill Seeker. On the show I dive into strange mysteries, folklore, conspiracies, and unexplained encounters from around the world. I also cover breaking news, politics, and pop culture phenomena.
Many of the ideas I explore eventually find their way back into my studio, shaping the creatures, atmospheres, and themes that appear in my paintings.
Watch or listen here:
