Jaime Shelley

Shelley's paintings: by himself.


I've been painting since I was a child. The first things I depicted were portraits. I painted the whole family, my friends and myself, out of curiosity only.
I still remember that rebellious and challenging feeling about following traditional drawing techniques; my inner self pushed me to do just the opposite of what I was told to do, and this is how I still feel, loyal to a permanent quest, a style and personal aesthetics. This is probably the reason for my being a self-made artist. I'm not interested in being part of a specific style or trend; my interest is art for art's sake; that is, to tell what is inside me. This is something personal and natural. No conditions, no bearings, except those dictated by me.
Painting, for me, is more than a profession: it is how I see the world, my world, how I see the moment I live, the things I am familiar with. More than a moralist I am ironic, always with a black humor. My belief is that a sense of humor is essential in life.
My art tries to mirror human nature. And in this quest my mentors, those who have been guiding me - with great respect and venerable admiration - are Leonardo Da Vinci and the Renaissance painters; Diego Velazquez with his Men...