Cole Shelton Art

This body of work focuses on facing the hardships and struggles of life and encourages the audience to pursue the benevolent in the face of adversity and finding purpose in the present while having hope for the future. The rich history of the American West serves as the perfect stage for the ideas Cole wants to convey in his work. Ideas of perseverance through trials and tribulation, having grit and determination, holding on to hope for a better future, and keeping your faith when things get tough.

The Creation series takes a look at nature through abstract and experimental compositions. Drawing inspiration from Artists such as Robert Motherwell, Clyfford Still and Alex Katz to name a few, Cole Shelton attempts abstraction and representation simultaneously. The meaning of this work is simply a love letter to God, praising him and admiring his creation.

“Hevel”, the Ghost series, is a comment on our existence, fashioned in a way that represents the nebulous and transient qualities of life but also points the viewer to a deeper wisdom. We are all faced with the reality that time, chance, and death hold sway over our existence and we have little control over our lives or other’s remembrance of us. These Ghosts serve as a mirror to that mortality and through reflecting they become an encouragement to pursue a more fruitful spirit. Love, kindness, and peace become more palatable the more you accept life with open hands. The subject matter is simplified, recognizable, and approachable. The compositions are sharp, esthetically pleasing and invites the viewer to look deeper into it and into themselves. The ambiguousness of The Ghosts allows them to be anyone and say anything, it allows them to become us.

“Hevel”, the Ghost series, is a comment on our existence, fashioned in a way that represents the nebulous and transient qualities of life but also points the viewer to a deeper wisdom. We are all faced with the reality that time, chance, and death hold sway over our existence and we have little control over our lives or other’s remembrance of us. These Ghosts serve as a mirror to that mortality and through reflecting they become an encouragement to pursue a more fruitful spirit. Love, kindness, and peace become more palatable the more you accept life with open hands. The subject matter is simplified, recognizable, and approachable. The compositions are sharp, esthetically pleasing and invites the viewer to look deeper into it and into themselves. The ambiguousness of The Ghosts allows them to be anyone and say anything, it allows them to become us.

The Fall series deals with the dark and hard times in life. Using a contemporary take on classic chiaroscuro techniques, I craft a cinematic world of light and dark to illustrate the beauty and importance of the light within the darkness. The technique and subject matter serves as a metaphor of how faith is the light in the darkest of times.

Imago Dei is a series that explores who we are as humans. The images represent multiple points of view and show how we see ourselves and how others see us and how all of this shapes the world within and around us. Ideas from cubism, expressionism, Francis Bacon and the Bible largely shape this series.