Shelley Reed

Gallery Affiliations: Sears-Peyton Gallery, Clark Gallery

Region: Northeast

I spend a lot of time in libraries looking at old art books. Right now I’m looking at painters from the late 1600s, painters who were documenting and subtly commenting on life around them. I try to find images that are visually dramatic and culturally relevant. While this past century has put tremendous value on doing art in a new, sometimes shocking way, I’m committed to what feels like the subversive act of reintroducing old work. And the reason for this is that a lot of the old work deals with issues that are still compelling today–issues about nature, power, aggression, and beauty.