Shelley Thornton is an artist defined by style, colour and a passion to live life to the full.
Having made the beautiful town of St Ives, Cornwall, her home, Shelley brings her bold and colourful abstract painting style to life through a series of unique collections.
Directed by the landscape around her and driven by the feelings, interpretations and stories that run through our day to day world, Shelley’s works express a moment of time, life and colour in a completely unique way. From combining textures to adding emotive song lyrics and colour with linear precision, Shelley’s definitive style stands alone.
Her artworks evoke a deep sense of place and the passing of time, and represent a strong melding of the seeming dichotomy of the city vista and the coastal environment. Shelley’s home of St Ives, Cornwall, is a unique and special place where the light reflects from the waves like no other. Many of Shelley’s collections draw from this magical landscape.
Texture and symbolism surface within the blocks of colour to tell more comprehensive stories.
Born in South Yorkshire and brought up close to the traditionally hardworking Northern hubs for coal, steel and rail – a love of industrial urban landscape has shaped Shelley’s interest in the real, unpolished architecture of that era. Contrasting this with the sleek city skyline of today, brings a thought-provoking take to Shelley’s interpretive abstractions of the city.
Her paintings possess a strong command of bold colours, and geometrical, architectural and industrial shapes and structure.
Shelley works predominantly on canvas and boards and likes to sketch out the composition beforehand. There is a preciseness to her approach and, once the foundation of white paint is laid to the surface, she will juggle acrylic and oil paints with salvaged materials such as sand, salt, cement, brick and rust. These natural or industrial mediums bring their own histories to bear on the reading of the artworks – providing fragments of memory to her creations. She will also choose what words, phrases or quotes, if any, to add.
Often her work draws inspiration from her passion for music. Lyrical elements add to the narrative and mixed media style of some paintings whilst, in others, music has led to the idea and resulting feel for creativity as Shelley builds the piece up each layer at a time.
As Shelley says: “I moved permanently to Cornwall after the birth of my first child because of the breath-taking quality and purity of light that it provides. When I paint, I find myself blending images of steel furnaces and coal mines from my northern roots with the contrasting beauty of Cornwall.”
Shelley’s artwork is found in private and corporate collections worldwide and she has participated in many solo and group exhibitions – curated both by galleries and agents, or by herself or with others.
Discover the latest events and upcoming exhibitions.
Shelley is a member of the National Acrylic Painters’ Association (NAPA) and an Associate of the Penwith Society of Artists. She is also a member of the Visual Artists Association – a professional body dedicated to supporting visual artists and ensuring a professional approach to their practice.
She has recently been long and shortlisted for art awards including the Artist of the Year 2025, Aesthetica Art Prize 2024, the Visual Art Open 2024, and the VAA Professional Artist Award 2023.
She was Artist in Residence at the iconic Headland Hotel above Fistral Beach in Cornwall.
Before a day’s painting, you might see Shelley sea swimming off Porthminster Beach, St Ives and, once the paint brush is down for the day, you might spot Shelley enjoying sundowner drinks with friends at Porthmeor Beach, St Ives, or enjoying the culinary delights on offer in St Ives.
Keep up to date on all things Artlantic and Shelley’s life as an artist by following her on social media.
