Shelley Nemerofsky Sims works in mixed media with handmade papers to create bold iconic images with highly textured surfaces, vibrant colors, stencils and configured shapes. The richly dyed papers contain organic material, such as plant fibers, bark scraps, grasses and tree debris.  They are manipulated and layered to create sophisticated, organic, one-of-a-kind pieces.

Shelley, whose studio is in Sedona, Arizona, is inspired by the Southwest, with its earth tones and strong elemental shapes and by Eastern philosophy and mysticism.  Her mandala-like images invite the viewer to penetrate the patterns and layers of color and texture to find a subtle balance and harmony.

Shelley attended the Maryland Institute, College of Art, in Baltimore, Maryland, and studied papermaking at the Corcoran Gallery School, Washington, DC. She was in the group exhibition “Options,” sponsored by the Corcoran Gallery’s Washington Project for the Arts (WPA/C),

Shelley also produced and animated The Bulb, a film presented on PBS stations, WNET and WETA; and at the International Animation Celebration in Los Angeles, California. The film won First Place Honors at the Biograph Theater in Washington, DC.