Adell Shetterly
Adell Shetterly creates original, hand-pulled prints integrating abstraction, color, and texture. She draws on several sources of inspiration for her inventive and expressive artworks: Encounters with nature in Central Oregon, memories, and everyday life moments.
Adell’s pieces emerge from a place of play, fun, and experimentation. She works partially in printmaking and partially in mixed media. Her techniques incorporate carving, layering inks, and introducing novel mediums to blend colors.
“To me, printmaking is an unrestricted creative medium, the design possibilities, techniques and variations on how the combinations of print techniques talk to each other are wide open to interpretation and innovation. When truly engaged in art-making time stands still. Lost in creativity and exploration the artistic vision evolves…moving forward or backward…and perhaps it begins anew with a spark of innovation. Motivated to be present in this state of discovery I welcome the journey of creative study. ”
She often hikes along the Deschutes River, in the nearby Cascade Mountains or Three Sisters Wilderness, and other places when traveling. She takes photographs on her hikes to consult for later inspiration in the studio.
Adell describes the moment when she runs a print through the press as
“magic.” In spite of all the planning and ideation that happens ahead of
time, the final result is truly spontaneous.
Although she has always been creative Adell devoted herself full-time to art as a second career. Her first career, teaching and curriculum development, placed Adell “creative adjacent” for many years. After moving to Bend, Oregon in late 2001 she soon found a position with Arts Central and built the community arts program there. A few years later, she was recruited by Atelier 6000 to develop their core program of printmaking, book arts, and drawing. It was here that Adell finally met printmaking face-to-face. She periodically attended classes to ensure teaching quality, and she took to printmaking quite naturally.
Inspired by the artists and students around her, Adell began to enroll in workshops, studying with Master Printmaker, Pat Clark as well as other experienced printmakers. Upon retirement in 2013, Adell dove into her love of printmaking. She works in her home studio in Bend, Oregon.
