Shira-Lee Shalit Art
My earliest memory of making art is in kindergarten, where I painted the trees red and the sky green. My teacher asked me why I chose those unusual colors. Well Miss Lloyd, because it made perfect sense to me, that's why!
Creativity has always been my lifeblood, through theater, film, directing, acting, visual art, and writing. (You can see more of my work at www.shira-leeshalit.com. )
A few years ago, I began to focus more seriously on painting, starting with very small canvases in blues, greens, and golds. Then came the pandemic, and with it, the unexpected gift of quarantine.
I transformed my living room into a little art studio, painting every day. It became my meditation—a way to quiet my mind and tap into something more spiritual and serene.
Recently, I was thrilled to have my paintings featured in HIGH TIDE, an award winning NYTimes critic's pick film starring Academy Award winner Marisa Tomei as the artist!! (It's a wonderful film directed by Marco Calvani and streaming on multiple platforms.)
Some recent highlights: it was very exciting to see my paining "BLM" featured in a double-page spread in ART TALK magazine, and my artwork "BRIGHT, FIGHT, LIGHT" auctioned off for the Brushes For Cancer Charity and exhibited at the WNDR Museum in Chicago!
My commissioned paintings now hang in homes in Dallas, LA, Detroit and NYC. Creating specific pieces for specific places is one of my favorite challenges... so if that's what your'e looking for, please do reach out! tha
My style is Abstract Expressionism, inspired by Jackson Pollock, Gerhard Richter, Helen Frankenthaler, and Hilma af Klint. It’s all about passion, energy, vibrant colors, and movement on the canvas! Action art- letting my imagination flow intuitively onto the canvas. Working with acrylics and oil sticks, I move around the canvas working on the floor, listening to one of my manySpotify playlists.
When I’m not painting, I’m happy to spend my days teaching at both NYU's Undergrad Film&TV program, and Columbia University Graduate Film department, where I'm Head of the Directing Actors division.
Whether I'm writing, directing, creating, or making art, the element of surprise remains a constant—and, just like in kindergarten, it always makes perfect sense to me! 🎨