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Yoga Warrior Competition

I don’t normally go for competitions but this one is an amazing opportunity!
If I get enough public votes for I am a Yoga Warrior my work will be featured in the gorgeous Yoga Journal Magazine and I win $10k to hold a fundraising art exhibition to benefit Live Violence Free, our local women’s shelter.
Voting starts March 9th!

If you’d like to support me in getting my art and story published,

please visit  Yoga Warrior:

and vote for me! 🌞🙌

You can vote once a day for free (so you can add a vote every day!) The first round of voting ends March 15th.

This competition is 100% voter determined..so your support really counts.

Voting begins Tuesday March 9th at 10AM PST
WHAT DOES YOGA MEAN TO YOU / HOW DOES YOGA ENHANCE YOUR LIFE?

I began practicing yoga to help me heal from breast cancer surgery. Yoga helped me let go of my breasts and womb, let go of bouldering, and embrace the wholeness and true femininity of my body, spirit and mind. The practice opened a pathway of service to others, revealing ways to use the creative abilities I have to become an activist artist. Yoga brings me into balance, widens my perspective, and reminds me to be gentle with myself and others.

WHAT WORDS OR MANTRA DO YOU LIVE BY?

Pain is inevitable; Suffering is optional.

WHAT WILL YOU DO WITH THE $10,000?

I will use it to stage a fundraising art exhibition of my yoga drawings, to benefit Live Violence Free, our local women’s shelter. I am an activist artist, and have already worked on campaigns to help raise awareness and reach out to victims of human trafficking.

Please share this post far and wide!
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Update: Fundamental Freedoms Exhibition coming to Oakland May 2021

I spoke to Ron Scroveni, owner of the Warehouse 416 Gallery recently about my show in October. With the revolution going on all over the US, which are causing a lot of damage in places, and the COVID19 lockdown I wondered whether we’d still be doing the show. I’d actually written it off in my mind a while ago, thinking we’d have to delay at least a year. He was surprisingly optimistic and upbeat, which was nice. There’s so much to be depressed and angry about right now, that it was pretty awesome to hear hope in his voice.

I asked if his gallery neighborhood had been damaged by the protesters. “Oh yes,” he told me, “we’re right in the thick of it. They haven’t damaged any of the galleries though, so that’s good!” Maybe they’re all art lovers?

I wholeheartedly support the movement to end institutional racism, and to dismantle the militarized police force. I am anti-racist, an ally, and an activist artist. I understand that there is a deep wound in our brothers and sisters, that will not be healed without major transformation of the system, and our collective attitudes. I understand that there is anger, a lot of it. But damaging property and looting is never ok, in my opinion.

So, depending on the lockdown restrictions in October, we’re hoping the show will happen. The Fundamental Freedoms collection is an educational resource, that I hope will help the cause. A donation is made to the charity most connected to each painting.

When draw murdered faces, activists, auction artwork for the cause, when I hold up my sign at a peaceful protest, I just want to say, “I see you. I want to help.”

Let’s hope the show will happen!

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Mural Commission: ‘The Metastases’

Aside from a couple of finishing touches that needed to be done when the paint dries…the mural is finished. This is by far the most ambitious piece I’ve ever done. Two years of research, design and composition. Nine months of detailed oil painting. 12 x 5 feet. One very happy patron.

Photo: Anthony Cupaiuolo

This commissioned painting is in a private apartment near Heavenly Village. Inspired by the book, ‘The Omnivore’s Dilemma’ by Micheal Pollan, this project is an unflinching exploration the toxic American food industry – its history and present state.

We’re in the process of photographing the finished painting, so I’ll have final images soon, courtesy of our filmmaker Anthony Cupaiuolo of First Tracks Productions. We are making a documentary about the mural and the issues it explores, building a dedicated website, and interviewing experts in the fields of farming and of the food industry

Watch this space.

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Emanate Gallery Virtual Exhibition Opening

Ah, 2020…what a strange year. Full of new experiences, good and bad. The opening of my show at Emanate Gallery on September 5th was mostly virtual, with a handful of brave masked art lovers filtering in throughout the day. We made a little impromptu video tour of the show, which actually turned out quite nicely, I thought. Check out the story behind the Art of Ashtanga drawings:

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The Art of Ashtanga Story

 

When my yoga teacher, Laura Josephy asked me if I’d be interested in drawing every pose in the Ashtanga Yoga Primary Series for her teacher training manual, I jumped at the opportunity. I love drawing the human figure, and the challenge of making 75 studies felt like an extension of my own yoga practice, and an opportunity to deepen my understanding of anatomy.

What I hadn’t anticipated was the profound nature of the journey, both artistically and personally.

I’m learning so much from the repetition and discipline required to work with this much consistency. The fine nature of the drawing style requires a level of concentration and absorption I haven’t experienced since I was an art student. I have a yoga anatomy book under my easel, along with David Swenson’s seminal Practice Manual for reference.

Uniting other disciplines with art is not a new venture for me. I graduated from the University of the West of England in 1997, with a degree in Art and Visual Culture. The program was an experimental blend of studio art, philosophy, theology, politics and history. It suited me because I love ideas as much as I love making art. To me they’re inextricably linked.  I’ve always had a very broad range of academic interests, and I’m not and expert at anything – I just have a childlike curiosity about things and find connections intriguing.

This curiosity has led me to combine art with many different fields of study, such as science and cultural politics. I also use my art for social and political activism and founded the local group Tahoe Activist Artists in 2017. The imagery that manifests in my work is usually centered on the human form although I like to spend time outdoors, communing with nature. I fill sketchbooks with observations of landscape and nature, working out ideas and emotions with words and images combined.

I first came to Ashtanga around 12 years ago, not long after I moved to Tahoe from Wales. My husband and I had met whilst bouldering our way around Canada and the US. I didn’t have my work visa yet, so I took a few classes at Lake Tahoe Community College for something to do, and to connect with like-minded people. I took oil painting and figure drawing with Phyllis Shafer and Ashtanga with Amrito Cross. I was too committed to climbing to maintain a regular practice though, and soon ended my daily practice after the quarter was finished.

I began practicing yoga again last October after I realized that I had to let go of climbing after 21 years. I was diagnosed with endometriosis and breast cancer in 2015, and the treatments, trauma and surgeries have changed my life. The transformative nature of the disease has presented me with what I call the ‘dark gift’. Meditation and a new spiritual practice brought me to the realization that I needed physical activity which nurtured my body and soul in a way that climbing no longer did.

Ashtanga initially attracted me because it reminded me of a long, technical boulder problem. Visualization, memorization of sequence, and fine, meditative, detailed work balanced with the big movements or gestures are the qualities of bouldering and art that I love. I find this again in yoga, with a different language that translates to the same thing.

When I can practice regularly, I feel at one with the world. The nature of Mysore style classes allows for a personal journey, supported by caring teachers. I feel part of a community again, and I also enjoy occasional Yin and flow classes. My body feels strong and supple, and I feel nurtured and empowered. The athletic nature of this practice satisfies my need to be physically energetic. The spiritual, meditative aspect of the practice calms my mind, makes me feel connected to the universe, and helps release the tension of my body.

I’m profoundly grateful to have found the Shala, my teachers, and to have the opportunity to explore my practice in more depth through art. It makes me happy to know that the drawings will continue in their journey as a teaching tool, and find purpose in the education of a new generation of instructors.

The project will be completed in March 2019, just ahead of the 200-hour RYT Teacher Training and Mysore Style Apprenticeship at the Shala.

There will be an opportunity for the public to view the first 30 original drawings, for one night only. An intimate gathering will be held at the Shala at 585 Tahoe Keys Blvd, on Sunday, November 11th, from 6 – 8 pm. Wine and hors d’oeuvres will be served, and admission is free. Yoga teachers Laura and Kacey will be present to share and discuss the Ashtanga practice and teacher training. All drawings will be for sale, and a percentage of the profits will be donated to causes they feel connected to.

Watch timelapse videos and learn more about the artistic process by following me on Instagram @ShelleyZen. Learn more about Tahoe Yoga Shala at www.tahoeyogashala.com

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The Circle: Conversations with Artists from Around the World

During the lockdown, I teamed up with some artist friends to share some interviews with other artists about what life is like in 2020, and how we can help each other stay sane and creative during tough times. Thankyou Kelly Cassidy Smith for starting this project, and I hope we can restart the conversation soon.

Watch my interview with my bestie and Art in Arms Niki Cotton here:

Read an interview with Reno News & Review blogger Jeri Davis here:

Reno RnR Interview

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Human Trafficking Campaign (2018)

Myth of Choice (2018) Graphic Design by John Bollaert, Artwork by Shelley Zentner

 

The Tahoe Activist Artists ran a campaign during the SuperBowl this year in South Lake Tahoe. SuperBowl Weekend is the highest volume time for Human Trafficking in our community. We posted these signs on the back of restroom doors throughout the casinos, sports bars, gas stations, and grocery stores throughout the town. We were sponsored by Tahoe Douglas Rotary Club and Whittel High School Interact Program.

 

Know the Signs (2018) Graphic Design by John Bolleart, Artwork by Ellen Nunes

What is human trafficking?

According to The Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000:

Sex Trafficking: the recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, or obtaining of a person for the purpose of a commercial sex act, in which the commercial sex act is indu- ced by force, fraud, or coercion. or in which the person induced to perform such act has not attained 18 years of age; and

Labor Trafficking: the recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, or obtaining of a person for labor or services, through the use of force, fraud, or coercion for the purpose of subjection to involuntary servitude, peonage, debt bondage, or slavery.

Who is at risk?

Anyone can be at risk. Mostly girls, but also boys. Traffickers are expert manipulators, and prey on vulnerable young people. Contrary to what you might assume, it isn’t just vulnerable homeless or addicted people who can be trapped into modern slavery.

One method traffickers use is to recruit attractive young men nicknamed ‘Romeos’ to seduce young girls. This seduction or ‘grooming’ can happen via social media, websites like Craigslist, at sports events, or anywhere teenagers hang out unsupervised. The perpetrators often romance their victims, making them feel like they are entering a relationship, making them feel loved. They make promises and buy expensive gifts.

At some point the money ‘runs out’ and the victim is asked to ‘earn’ the money back, perhaps by stripping or having sex with someone. They are trapped.

What can I do to protect myself, my friends or my children?

Learn the signs and educate yourself about human trafficking.

Some of the signs that a person is being trafficked:

  • Is not free to leave or come and go as he/she wishes
  • Is under 18 and is providing commercial sex acts
  • Is fearful, anxious, depressed, submissive, tense, or nervous/paranoid
  • Exhibits unusually fearful or anxious behavior after bringing up law enforcement
  • Avoids eye contact
  • Appears malnourished
  • Shows signs of physical and/or sexual abuse, physical restraint, confinement
  • Has few or no personal possessions
  • Is not in control of his/her own identification documents (ID or passport)
  • Is not allowed or able to speak for themselves
  • Lack of knowledge of whereabouts and/or do not know what city he/she is in

Has numerous inconsistencies in his/her story

PROTECT – PRevention Organized To Educate Children on Trafficking

PROTECT is a human trafficking prevention education program that was developed in 2015 through a coalition of three nonprofits (3Strands Global Foundation, Love Never Fails, and Frederick Douglass Family Initiatives), in partnership with the Office of the Attorney General for the State of California, the California Department of Education, Cisco Systems, and the Institute for Social Research at Sacramento State University. Through this program, teachers and students are learning about red flags, protocols, and ways to prevent exploitation through an online curriculum that provides all classroom materials necessary.

To learn more, visit https://vimeo.com/protectnow/introvideo

3 Strands Global Foundation sponsored legislation which requires California public schools to teach California’s school-age population how to avoid becoming victims of exploitation, help them understand the problem of human exploitation and learn ways to address the problem through service initiatives.

In January 2018, The Human Trafficking Prevention Education and Training Act became law.

“In my 26 years of teaching, this is the first of its kind that I’ve ever encountered as an educator. I feel I’m now more empowered as an educator and a protector of children.”

– Ed M, Teacher, Vallejo City Unified School District

“When we moved from Las Vegas to a sleepy suburb of Sacramento, I never dreamed our family would be directly affected by this heinous crime. However, our 17-year-old was taken from the local grocery store, driven to a motel in the Bay Area, drugged and pimped out through ads on craigslist and repeatedly raped by men looking for sex with underage girls.”

– Vicki Mead, Co-Founder of 3Strands Global Foundation, Mother of a Survivor

 

Call the National Helpline number: 800-373-788 anonymously for help

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Emanate Gallery

I’m thrilled to announce that I’m now represented by the beautiful Emanate Art Gallery! Located at the Crossing at the Y in South Lake Tahoe, this classy little space is just what South Lake Tahoe has needed for a long time.

The owners are lovely people, with great taste. They only have a small stable of artists, which they develop a close relationship with. I really like the other art in there, so I’m honored to take a place alongside paintings and sculptures I admire.

This is also a full service frame shop, so all my work will be framed by Angela, a master framer and one of the co-owners. She’s awesome at what she does, so I trust my originals in her loving, capable hands. Benjamin, another partner in the gallery is the man you’ll meet when you walk through the door. He’s friendly, knowledgeable and a creative outdoorsman. This is a gallery you won’t be intimidated to walk into, but will experience a quiet, inspirational space to contemplate art.

The gallery already have some of my Ashtanga drawings, some of which are being framed and will hang in the main gallery soon. Others will be available to view unframed if you ask. Emanate have a list of what’s available, as I’ve already sold over 20 of them. I won’t be drawing any more Ashtanga pieces, as drawing over 80 of them (there were some duds in the beginning!) almost wrecked my neck and shoulders. It was an amazing project, that I’m really proud of, and I learned a ton about drawing, anatomy and yoga from Laura Josephy (collaborator and model), but I could never do it again.

So, these drawing are the ultimate limited edition!

 

 

 

 

 

Visit Emanate Gallery at the Crossing:

Address:

2030 Lake Tahoe Blvd., South Lake Tahoe, CA 96150

Telephone:

(530) 600-4477

Web:

https://emanategallery.com/