Catalog – Shelley Zentner

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Shelley Zentner

Artist | Creative Activism

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- Tahoe Activist Artists: We the People (2017)
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I don’t normally go for competitions but this on

I don’t normally go for competitions but this one seems like an amazing opportunity! If I get enough votes 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!#manifestyourdreams #betheflow #service #liveviolencefree #tahoeyogashala #yogajournal #iamyogawarrior2021 #peacefulwarrior #cancerwarrior #survivor #activistart #tahoeactivistartists #artofashtanga #artandyoga #yogaandart #allone

Harriet Tubman (born Araminta Ross, c. March 182

Harriet Tubman (born Araminta Ross, c. March 1822– March 10, 1913) was an American abolitionist and political activist. Born into slavery, Tubman escaped and subsequently made some 13 missions to rescue approximately 70 enslaved people, including family and friends using the network of antislavery activists and safe houses known as the Underground Railroad. During the American Civil War, she served as an armed scout and spy for the Union Army. In her later years, Tubman was an activist in the movement for women's suffrage. ~
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Oil on canvas
40x40”
#blackhistorymonth #harriettubman #abolitionist #civilrightsactivist #artistsoninstagram #oilpainting #portraitsofheroes #portrait #suffrage #womensupportingwomen #womensrights #antislavery #blacklivesmatter #iseeyou

Underpainting done ☑️ #workinprogress #wipeout

Underpainting done ☑️ #workinprogress #wipeout #oilsketch #pencilsketch #river #pleinairpainting #artistsoninstagram #oilpainting #southlaketahoecalifornia #christmasvalleytahoe #snowylandscape❄

I met a fellow down at the river yesterday, as I d

I met a fellow down at the river yesterday, as I do when I’m out doing Aimless Wondering by the river sometimes. ~
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I’m meeting more and more neighbors these days, and it’s wonderful. We share a profound awe and respect for the forest and river. Community. Communion. Stewardship. ~
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I showed him a sketch I’d just done, and he commented that I must see the world very differently from him, as an artist. Perhaps, I said. ~
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When I was teaching, I loved to quote the artist @richardschmid Richard Schmid when students commented that I must see so much more when I look at things. No, I reply, I see less. I look for spaces, the places between the things. I look for patterns and big shapes of value. I squint my eyes so that only the broadest, most abstract jigsaw is revealed, so I can see beyond the clutter and noise. ~
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This is my practice, for life and art. I don’t always manage it in the moment, and get tangled in the details sometimes. But I notice quicker and more often these days, and remember to take a deep breath and come to my senses, and see through the outermost edges of my vision to the bigger picture. And everything seems a bit more manageable. ~
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#artoftheday #pleinairartist #aimlesswandering #richardschmid #allaprima #prepsketch #taoofpooh #taoistartist #practicemakesprogress #riversketching #riverart #gowiththeflow #cometoyoursenses #pencildrawing #artinthesnow #southuppertruckeeriver

A fun painting session from the middle of the rive

A fun painting session from the middle of the river during a drier spell. It was pretty amazing to have the opportunity to paint on a pebbly island that had emerged from the river, which disappeared not long afterwards. ~
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#pleinairpainting #pleinairlive #pleinairpainter #allaprima #riverpainting #gowiththeflow #impermanence #spontaneousart #betheflow #taoistart #wuwei #pleinairmag #tahoeart #maketahoe

“One of Taoism’s most important concepts is wu

“One of Taoism’s most important concepts is wu wei, which is sometimes translated as “non-doing” or “non-action.” A better way to think of it, however, is as a paradoxical “Action of non-action.” Wu wei refers to the cultivation of a state of being in which our actions are quite effortlessly in alignment with the ebb and flow of the elemental cycles of the natural world. It is a kind of “going with the flow” that is characterized by great ease and awareness, in which—without even trying—we’re able to respond perfectly to whatever situations arise.” ~
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“Roots”
Oil on Panel 18x8” ~
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#wuwei #taoistwisdom #gowiththeflow #dontry #allow #riverwisdom🌊💦 #rivermother #sanctuary #learnfromnature #weareone #snowytahoe #oilpainting #pleinairpainting #artistsoninstagram #tahoeart #southuppertruckeeriver #allaprima #allprimapainting #traditionalart #grace #learnreligions #pleinairmag

I ordered this luscious frame as an experiment to

I ordered this luscious frame as an experiment to see what my paintings of the river would look like surrounded by antique gold. I painted this one on a scrap of linen left over from the mural, so it’s been hanging unceremoniously on the wall by masking tape, curling and threatening to fall daily. ~
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When I put it in the frame I realized that I hadn’t painted all the way to the right edge so had to oil it back in and finish it (again), all the while thinking, “Don’t fuck it up, don’t fuck it up” I didn’t fuck it up thankfully, and couldn’t resist popping it in the frame wet to see the final result. I have to admit I swooned a bit. ~
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I sat back to look at it a while in my apron, and I kid you not, the phone rang. It was a neighbor who had seen me painting at the river, asking if they could buy it. With more than a little mixed emotions, I said of course. I got to bask in glory for one night then sold her all finished up with backing and hangers the next day. She’s with people who know and love this part of the river as much as me now, which is the best kind of creative energy exchange I can think of! #storiesofart #riverpainting #soldpainting #framedart #oilonlinen #originalart #tahoeartist #truckeeriver #christmasvalleyartist #gratefulheart❤️ #pleinairpainting #pleinairartist #artistsoninstagram #artistsstudio #whatsontheeaseltoday

Dragonfly necklace and earrings hand delivered yes

Dragonfly necklace and earrings hand delivered yesterday by the beautiful and talented Brianna @hadalittlewoody I absolutely love them!! #buylocalart #supportlocalartists #tahoeartwalk #southlaketahoe #southlaketahoeart #dragonfly #burntwoodart #dragonflypendant #lotusearrings #handmadejewelry

My website has been hacked so it’s offline for a

My website has been hacked so it’s offline for a bit whilst people more tech savvy than me are trying to fix it.
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Meanwhile, my daughter and
I have been indulging in low tech river drawing and (gasp!) watercolours. Yes, Americans I spell it with a ‘u’ ;)
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Those of you who know me well will no doubt expect aggressive watercolouring mixed with charcoal, for the full Welsh effect. It didn’t happen! Something has shifted in me again and a gentler touch was surprisingly applied.
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I’m not quite ready to share the watercolours yet, so here’s a sketch from a few days ago when I was testing the water to see if sitting down (another gasp!) would be ok for working. I’m a standing-only practitioner usually, and quite strident about it when I’m teaching so my former students might have a snicker about this. Icy ground, snow and a trapped nerve in my right shoulder has brought about this concession. Truth is, I quite like it.
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So here’s to middle aged attitude adjustments, folding chairs and a river that speaks to me of going with the flow. Cheers, you lovely people.
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#pleinairartist #tahoeartist #christmasvalleyartist #sketchoftheday✏️ #artistsofinstagram #riverpainting #gowiththeflow #lowtech #charcoaldrawing #tahoeartwalk #onewithnature🍃 #observedontabsorb #savetheplanet🌍 #leavenotrace

“When our water here Becomes saturated with pol

“When our water here
Becomes saturated with pollution,
It gets led back to the original water, the ocean.
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After a year of receiving starlight,
The water returns, sweeping new robes along.
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Where have you been? In the ocean of purity. Now I am ready for more cleaning work.”
~Rumi, ‘How we move in Grace”
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Feels like there’s a lot of cleaning work that need a to be done today, and I’m not just thinking about the dirty old dishes in the kitchen sink.
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Increasingly aware of the privilege of spending time responding to the rhythms of the river and all the life that lives, dies and then regenerates the whole system with its matter.
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Surreal to live in a quiet place to sit with nature when Tahoe is being inundated and trashed by tourists. Fear they’re getting closer. Feels like humans are running amok destroying things everywhere.
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Is this how change has to happen? Do we really need to bottom out and take the whole planet with us?

My creative cup is finally filling again. After th

My creative cup is finally filling again. After the 9 month mural painting epic, plus a pandemic holiday for good measure, I haven’t felt capable of drawing or painting for a few weeks. It’s a peculiar thing, this dance with creativity. And it is a dance. Knowing when to lead and when to follow, when to leap in and when to sit out a few songs to get your breath back..that’s the trick, isn’t it?
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I’ve been walking by the river every day, freed from the obsession to record small moments by way of iPhone. Makes me look with a broader lens. Also refusing to carry a sketchbook for a while has freed me to look with abandon, drinking in all the sounds, the rhythms of water and life, the light.
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So yesterday I felt ready. No warning, no waking up knowing. Just walking by the river I felt it. An urgency to go home and pick up the simplest tools. Charcoal, knife. Maybe a little white Conte. Sat on the snowy riverbank and connected. It’s like plugging in. To what? What do you call it? The universe, the muse, life, the force? (Too much Mandolorian with the family over the holiday)
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#creativecup #creativity #sketching #sketchbook #pleinairart #pleinairartist #laketahoeart #southuppertruckeeriver #christmasvalleytahoe #snowyday #riverdrawing #thejourney #thejourneyisthedestination #thedance

This is by far the most ambitious piece I’ve eve

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. #exhuasted
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Photo: Anthony Capaiuolo

Pelican-Phoenix ~ ~ ~ #commissionedart #mural #oil

Pelican-Phoenix ~
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#commissionedart #mural #oilspill #oilpainting #wildlifeindanger #stopenvironmentalgenocide #stopenviromentalterrorism #corporategreedkills #saveourplanet🌍

Learning, or rather relearning primal movement wit

Learning, or rather relearning primal movement with @mitch_ashlock has been an incredible experience. We traded skills, so I could learn about what he does to create an image for his business representing the spirit of his work. Mitch considers the whole person in assisting with their health, body, mind and spirit. The circle was a shape that kept coming to mind when sketching designs. This is still a rough version of the final piece, but I like that it reveals the smudges, smears and explorations of the charcoal, searching for the form which expresses primal movement. ~
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#primalmovement #circles #rotations #spinaltwists #yinandyang #energymovement #charcoaldrawings⚫️ #malebodyinart #expressivedrawing #creativepartnerships #planetsaligned

Creative partnerships arrive at just the right tim

Creative partnerships arrive at just the right time these days! @mitch_ashlock contacted me after my Art of Ashtanga show opened at @emanategallery recently. He liked the drawings I did of @lmdjosephy practicing yoga and asked if I could do something like that for him, as he is a personal trainer (He works at @gymlovetahoe) His IG pic is the Vitruvian Man, so I was intrigued right away. I met him to talk about it at @cuppatahoe and I was struck by not only his physical beauty, but also his humble wisdom for such a young man. Of course I wanted to draw him. I could feel charcoal in my hand just looking at him. Then he talked about what he does. He calls it Primal Movement, a practice to reawaken the body’s natural pattern of movement, the way we evolved to hold our bodies. Modern life has distorted our posture..we all know this..sitting too much, using phones, craning our necks forward to read on a tiny screen (like I am now!) I’ve been struggling with neck and shoulder nerve pain for over a year now, and haven’t been able to practice yoga, climb or even hike without carrying my own arms at times. It’s been a weird year. The good thing that came out of all that sitting was a more consistent meditation practice. Trying not to lose my shit over COVID, my daughters schooling, and not exercising was hard. I’ve also been working on the mural a lot, and that puts even more strain on my body. So when Mitch approached me, I asked him if he wanted to trade for the drawing. What better way to get to know what he teaches than to learn from him? We’ve been working together for a few weeks now, and I’m going to share some stories and short videos over the next few weeks. I’ve done a few drawings already, of him moving in my studio, and it was like a kind of magic. I haven’t been able to work with charcoal directly from a human form in years. Talk about primal! Using burnt wood to transcribe rotational and wave form movement felt transcendent. And yes, my lovely husband was around, trusts and understands me enough to draw a half naked young man in my studio.👩🏻‍🎨😂❤️. ~
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This is my first ‘Virtual’ gallery opening, an

This is my first ‘Virtual’ gallery opening, and I have to say I quite like it. When I was younger, I’d have so much anxiety about these events. I’d drink a lot and wear ridiculously high heels for my skill level. Afterwards I’d press my forehead to the floor in shame at the things I’d said about my work, even though the sirens of ridicule I expected to go off, did not. I can’t remember how many exhibitions I’ve had off the top of my head, quite a few. Navigating throngs of people felt exhilarating in my younger years, despite the anxiety, and I sold a lot of art (which made up for a lot) Today is quiet, and I’m able to talk from behind my mask to individuals I can hear properly, and it’s actually really nice. My ego doesn’t scream for crowds and parties any more, and I don’t have to worry about framing or insurance, so I can focus on painting. I’ve just signed up with this lovely gallery, the @emanategallery in South Lake Tahoe. I’m happy to be here, they feel like the right people to handle my drawings #quietmoments #viruallife #virtualartshow #virtualartgallery #yoga #ohm #ashtanga #breathe #drawings #adrawingaday #contemporaryart #figuredrawing #art #artistslife #tahoe #shelleyhocknell #femaleartist #shelleyzentner #exhibition #series #openevening #gallery #mywork #artgallery #virtualopening #emanategallerytahoe #tahoeart #tahoeartwalk #thecrossingtahoe #professionalartist

Announcing new Gallery Representation! @emanategal

Announcing new Gallery Representation! @emanategallery in South Lake Tahoe will now be my exclusive agents and point of sale in Lake Tahoe. This beautiful gallery is owned and run by people I respect and trust.

Benjamin and Angela are kind, approachable and extremely knowledgeable about art, framing, art installation and lighting. In fact, Angela is a master framer and has a workshop in the back of the gallery. She has framed 4 of my drawings, and they look stunning! Emanate will have unframed drawings in the back of house, so clients can choose any available original and have them custom framed if they choose. There will also have prints on metal and paper of various sizes at the gallery.

Online /in person Event: Saturday Sept 5th 2-7pm. Support your community small business this weekend by joining us either online or in-person. Limited space and social distancing will ensure an opportunity for an intimate, quiet art experience. 🍾🎨

Can mushrooms save the world? #mycelliumrunning #p

Can mushrooms save the world? #mycelliumrunning #paulstamets #mushroomsofinstagram #mushroomart #magicmushrooms🍄 #psilocybinmushrooms #expandyourmind #interconnectedness #weboflife

Yesterday’s progress: 4 portraits (Jeremaiah Tow

Yesterday’s progress: 4 portraits (Jeremaiah Tower, Alices Waters, Julia Child, Native American girl eating GMO corn), 3 butterflies ( Monarchs), 3 flowers (Flax and Clover), 5 dead chickens and 1 sharp knife. ~
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#monsantokills #metastasis #nogmo🚫 #roundupkills #pesticides #nomorepesticides #omnivoresdilemma #michealpollan #savemigrantworkers #civilrightsactivist #civilrightsmovement #alicewaters #jeremiahtower #juliachild #doloreshuerta #monarchbutterflies #pollinators #roundupkillsmorethenweeds #roundupkillspollinators #savetheplanet #responsiblefarming #organicfarming #organicfood #eatlocal #cookfromscratch

A drawing session in the forest that began as an a

A drawing session in the forest that began as an academic study, then morphed through memories, emotions and old dirt. The forest is the best place for this kind of medicine, I’m finding. The final pastel strokes described forgiveness and acceptance. A full, zen circle. Such beauty in chaos. It’s almost impossible to sever the creative process from a kind of psychoanalytical journey, so the symbolism is always loaded. I’ll post the final drawing when I’ve stared at it for a few hours and decided it’s finished and ready to send out into the world. ~
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#forestbathing🌲🌲🌲 #artforthesoul❤️ #pleinairartist #pastelart #symbolism #tahoenationalforest #artintheforest #artinthemountains #artistoninstagram #workinprogress

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- Tahoe Activist Artists: We the People (2017)
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