July Artist of the Month - Shelly Bales
Meet & Greet, Saturday, July 18th, Noon to 4PM
For thirty years, my world was structured by the logic, systems, and linear problem-solving of an IT professional. The last six years, however, have been defined by a return to my roots in abstract painting—an intentional, intuitive pivot into the kinetic and beautiful chaos of alcohol ink.
My practice is a continuous, living dialogue between intent and surrender. Working with this medium is less about controlling an outcome and more about guiding the uncontrollable. I am fascinated by the inherent tension that occurs where the fluid medium begins to talk: as I push ink and alcohol across the substrate, they collide and blend directly on the surface, creating organic movement, atmospheric depth, and transparent gradients in real-time.
As the volatile components evaporate, objects and patterns begin to crystallize from the abstraction. I utilize my analytical background to identify these emerging forms, moving to either accent their defined edges or soften them back into the flow.
Visually, my work explores the contrast between the saturated and the weightless. Intense, highly concentrated cores of jewel-toned color are often defined by gossamer-thin lines and expansive, transparent flows. Whether evoking topographical maps, cellular structures, or celestial nebulae, each piece is a celebration of this profound shift—a bridge where a lifetime of structure meets the beautiful, unpredictable freedom of the flow.
Awards:
Best in show 2d - Elkader Art fest 2024
3rd place best in show - Marion Arts Fest 2025
Best in Show - Mt Vernon Lincoln Hwy Arts Fest 2025
ARTISTS OF THE MONTH
Two in June
Eylul Doganay - Artist of the month - June
Artist Meet & Greet - Sat. June 20th, Noon to 4PM
Open to the Public and Free
Artist Statement
I'm a three-decade old visual artist living in Iowa City. I started and continue drawing with markers, tinker with print mediums, digital tools and projectors. I am interested in unlearning image habits, automatic writing, re-imagining terrains, language systems, the concepts of belonging and flow and I am influenced most by line-heavy graphic realms like etchings and tattooing.
Shelley Snitker - Artist of the Month - June
Artist Meet & Greet - Sat. June 20th, Noon to 4PM
Open to the Public and Free
DKW Art Gallery is proud to announce that we have TWO (2) Artists in June. Our 2nd Artist of the Month is Shelley Snitker.
Artist Statement
I am an elderly woman who has always been intrigued with capturing the beauty in the world. It all started back in the 1970's when I got my first instant Polaroid camera and I would walk around my mom and dad's farm shooting pictures of the landscape, sunsets over the fields or just a single Tiger Lily with a drop of dew.
As I got a little older, I still continued taking shots with a digital camera and I entered pictures into the great Jones County Fair photography contest. I took best in show that year and that when I knew I was doing what I was meant to do. But something was missing. I wanted to be the creator.
So fast forward into the millennium and all my focus had turned from photography to the love of the abstract art. Driven by unpredictable interaction between air and acrylic paints, I utilized my style of art as a powerful medium of expression. My work captures the fluid dance of gravity and breath, translating raw emotion into narratives that invites my viewer to explore the beauty of movement and color.
