Shelli Langdale
I paint astronauts in flux, suspended in the in-between. These works reflect the strength discovered in rebuilding after profound loss.
Shelli Langdale is an American artist living and painting in Chattanooga, TN. She has a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from the University of Alabama in Huntsville. An autodidact, Shelli has pivoted careers throughout her life, from a wide-area network engineer for NASA to front-end web development and design. After experiencing a personal loss in 2014, she revisited her first passion, art, and studied at the local atelier where she began creating emotive narrative works. A second personal loss in 2020 inspired her to shift her focus toward exploring the ephemeralness of relationships. Shelli's first physical solo show, "Dissolution", was an exhibit about grief. Its proceeding became a coping method and her practice in constructing meaning from loss — and was the culmination of this new body of work.
Shelli's paintings are collected internationally and published in Create! Magazine, American Art Collector, Western Art Collector, and PoetsArtists. She has exhibited in California, Colorado, Florida, New York, Tennessee, and Wisconsin.
Education
Bachelor of Science, Computer Science. The University of Alabama in Huntsville
In my work, I focus on the dynamic between memory and transformation, highlighting the human capacity for resilience and adaptation. These works offer a contemplative lens through which to view the process of rebuilding oneself after profound loss, illuminating the strength found in navigating life’s disruptions.
I depict astronauts in loosely painted oil and acrylic scenes, inspired by science fiction and the cosmos, as explorers navigating their own paths toward self-definition. The hidden faces behind their reflective shields mirror my uncertainty and underscore the universality of the search for identity and direction.
Through these paintings, I use exploration as a metaphor for self-discovery and the quest for joy. The environments and circumstances in which these astronauts find themselves highlight the unpredictability of life’s path and the resilience required to adapt to new realities.
Ultimately, my work invites viewers into a narrative of self-discovery and introspection, encouraging them to reflect on their own journeys and the ways they navigate transformation and loss.
- Brown, Mike. "Meet Shelli Langdale." Bold Journey, 5 June 2025, https://boldjourney.com/meet-shelli-langdale/. Interview.
- "Curated Section". Create! Magazine, Issue 40, December 2023, pp 52-57.
- "Transmuting Grief". American Art Collector, Issue 207, January 2023, p 94.
- "Animalia". Western Art Collector, September 2019, pp 114-115.
- "Idiosyncratic Monochromes" (#85 Special Edition), PoetsArtists, June 2017.
Solo Exhibitions
- Dissolution
Abend Gallery, Denver, CO (7-28 Jan 2023) - Transitory
Abend Gallery, Denver, CO (2020)
Group Exhibitions
- International Biennial Portrait Competition,
Wausau, WI (2025) - Red Dot: Cosmic Connection,
Stove Works, Chattanooga, TN (2024) - Emotional Thresholds,
Art Fluent Gallery, Online. Boston, MA (2024) - Animalia VI,
Abend Gallery, Denver, CO (2024) - 33rd Annual Holiday Miniatures Show,
Abend Gallery, Denver, CO (9 Dec 2023 - 2 Jan 2024) - Red Dot: EXTRA
Stove Works, Chattanooga, TN (2023) - 32nd Annual Holiday Miniatures Show,
Abend Gallery, Denver, CO (7 Dec 2022 - 7 Jan 2023) - 31st Annual Holiday Miniatures Show,
Abend Gallery, Denver, CO (2021) - 5 x 5 Project IV,
Abend Gallery, Denver, CO (2021) - 30th Annual Holiday Miniatures Show,
Abend Gallery, Denver, CO (2020) - Online Holiday Show and Sale,
Townsend Atelier, Chattanooga, TN (2020) - Small Works,
Abend Gallery, Denver, CO (2020) - Catatonic,
Abend Gallery, Denver, CO (2020) - 29th Annual Holiday Miniatures Show,
Abend Gallery, Denver, CO (2019) - Animalia II ,
Abend Gallery, Denver, CO (2019) - Small Works 2018,
Main Street Arts, Clifton Springs, NY (2018) - 28th Annual Holiday Miniatures Show,
Abend Gallery, Denver, CO (2018) - It's Political,
Las Laguna Gallery, Laguna Beach, CA (2018) - Small Works 2017,
Main Street Arts Gallery, Clifton Springs, NY (2017) - Elevate,
Townsend Atelier, Chattanooga, TN (2017) - Bareback II: Symmetry in Motion,
Studio C Gallery, Los Angeles, CA (2017) - Circle: The Coaster Show,
Townsend Atelier, Chattanooga, TN (2016)
Abend Gallery, Denver, CO
A newsletter about paintings, fieldnotes, and monologues.
Dispatches from the Liminal Bathroom is a newsletter for anyone who loves paintings, strange spaces, weird monologues, and the occasional sideways glimpse into the creative process. This is where my paintings meet the fieldnotes and monologues that orbit them, thoughts that surface sideways, like signals from another room.
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Subscribing means stepping into a slower rhythm of new works, reflections on process, fieldnotes, odd transmissions, and low-key rebellions. Sometimes glimpses from the studio. Sometimes a pattern that only reveals itself when you stay in the portal a little longer.
There’s no urgency here. Just a threshold where art unfolds, and the writing follows. You’re welcome to stay as long as you like.
