Shelley Smolen

Shelley Smolen
Houston, Texas, USA

STATEMENT

I create mixed-media collages by bringing together fragments of my own drawings and paintings, wood veneer, hand-painted papers, and materials created alongside my three daughters. These individual pieces are cut apart, layered, rearranged, and reworked until they become part of something new. Motherhood has transformed my creative practice, bringing a greater sense of playfulness and experimentation to my work. My background is in sculptural woodworking and marquetry, where I became interested in the process of assembling individual pieces into a larger composition. That same approach continues in my collage practice, but has evolved through a wider range of materials and a more intuitive way of working.

My daughters often create painted papers and drawings while working alongside me, experimenting with different materials and techniques. I love incorporating traces of their creativity into my own work and watching their individual marks take on new meaning within a finished piece. As they grow, I am interested in how this shared process will continue to evolve and become a record of this particular time in our lives.

BIO

Shelley Smolen is a Houston-based mixed-media artist whose work combines collage, painting, drawing, wood, and dimensional elements. Her layered compositions incorporate handmade and reworked materials, including painted papers and drawings created alongside her three daughters. Smolen holds an MFA from the University of North Texas and works as both a practicing artist and art educator. She has exhibited at Lawndale Art Center, The Health Museum, Vignette Art Fair, and New Texas Talent, and was selected as the Pearl Fincher Museum of Fine Arts’ August 2026 Artist of the Month.

ARTIST CONTACT

[click to email]
www.smolenstudio.com

IMAGES