As a passionate animal lover, I have always had an attraction to works of art depicting nature and animals. Fortunately for me, in my job at the Local I have been introduced to many talented local artists over many years. But I have never seen wildlife paintings that were more stunning than those of Mt. Airy artist (and professional singer) Lynnette Shelley.

Shelley, 52, originally from Delaware, was a journalism major and art minor at the University of Delaware, and she graduated in 1996. She came to Philly in 1999 to take a job as editor of Parents Express, owned by Montgomery Newspapers, then moved to a trade magazine and then to the Metro newspaper, which she left in 2007. She lived in Mt. Airy until 2010, when she moved to Ambler, but later moved back to Mt. Airy.

“It took about a year,” she told the Local last week, “but we found a really beautiful apartment with a reasonable rent in West Mt. Airy on a really nice street that had private landlords. They seemed nice … so we called them immediately after we saw the place and told them we wanted it. I think it had only been on the market one day.”

Shelley, whose work will be on display Sept. 12 and 13 at the Brandywine Festival of the Arts in Wilmington, as well as at many other upcoming events, was asked why her artwork focuses solely on animals, both domestic and wild.

“I always had cats and as a kid, an iguana,” she said. “I always liked animals and always liked to draw them, also flowers and plants. I also like to paint artworks incorporating endangered or extinct animals and unusual animals to bring awareness to what we as humans are doing to our planet, as well as to explore all the varieties of life around us.”

Having a passion for wildlife, patterns and archetypes, Shelley fuses these influences into her artworks. Her highly detailed and complex compositions are created using a sophisticated process developed from a buildup of multiple layers incorporating techniques of both drawing and painting.

What was Shelley’s favorite exhibit ever? “That’s a hard one,” she said, “as I like different shows for different reasons. For example, I participated in a county-wide studio tour in 2021 where I sold 23 original paintings. There was a brief window between lockdowns where people could go out and my work was in a big airy barn along with several other artists, and people were very supportive. That was great, and the money I made at the show helped float me for months afterwards even during uncertain income periods.

“Another show I did a couple of years ago was at a gallery in Bethlehem that is no longer around. It was an absolutely beautiful venue, and they arranged the room I was in with custom lighting and wall paint that made my work look even more amazing. My paintings literally looked like stained glass there. And then I’ve done many shows over the years at Red Raven Art Company in Lancaster, and they are my favorite contemporary gallery in that area. The gallery owners and manager are very easy to work with, and they really work to connect your work to an audience.”

Shelley also writes for and performs with the Red Masque, a local progressive band that has been playing gigs in the area for 25 years. Recently they have performed at the Mystic Festival in Maryland, Glenside Porchfest, clubs in Philly, and a DIY house show in Reading. Their new album, “All The Wolves Are Fed,” which came out in January, won “Progressive Rock Album of the Year” from the Elephant Talk Indie Music Awards. Their bassist (and Shelley’s husband), Brandon Lord Ross, was named bassist of the year.

Shelley is also the vocalist for Green Cathedral, an original art-rock band from the Philadelphia area that blends new wave, progressive, post-punk and Gothic influences. They are currently recording a new album at Philly Jam Recording.

How would Shelley compare the satisfaction she gets from singing and performing to making art? “Making art is more of a solo thing,” she replied, “except when I show it to people. Performing and writing songs is a group effort, and it has the satisfaction (and stress) of working with different personalities.

“I will say I am glad I quit my day job to do art in 2007 as I have way more satisfaction working for myself than for a corporation, but it’s not without its challenges,” she said. “Quitting my day job was very risky and scary, but I do think I took the right path, though. This feels like what I’m supposed to do.”

For more information, visit lynnetteshelley.com. Len Lear can be reached at lenlear@chestnuthilllocal.com.