Sheila Evans was born in Long Beach California in 1966 and has spent most of her life in the Pacific Northwest. She received a bachelor’s degree in Fine Art from Gonzaga University in 1988. She began her career as a professional fine artist in 1995, during her twenty-year career as a graphic designer. Best known for her pastels and oil paintings, Sheila has recently branched out into new media, including enamel and pottery. This Art Spirit group show marks the debut of her work in enamel.

Animal welfare and the environment are two of Sheila’s greatest passions. “I believe that all lives have value, and deserve our kindness and respect. In this series, I have re-intentioned steel butcher trays with imagery honoring the lives of animals. Many of the trays also include images of pine and spruce, in remembrance of the many beautiful trees lost to recent devastating fires and storms.”

“To create each tray, I first fire on an overall background color, then add two or three additional firings of spot colors. The colors are added by a combination of sprayed liquid enamel and sifted dry enamel over stencils. After the base layers of color are complete, I then spray a layer of black enamel over the entire tray and allow it to dry. I create the line work of the image reductively, by scratching out the color areas. Once this is completed, I sift and brush additional powdered enamel over portions of the design to intensify color, soften areas of black and add dimension to the piece. I fire the black layer and sifted colors together, adding more black and color in additional firings as needed to achieve the desired look.”

Affiliations

Pastel Society of America, Signature Member

Northwest Pastel Society, Signature Member