Home

Welcome to my site!

I am Shirley Bell, a poet, artist and photographer, and I work on www.atcsforall.com as redplantlady. 

My work has been featured in Art Trader magazine, in "Art in Your Mailbox", a book on mixed media artist trading cards, and in the 2011 international artists diary (published by www.fantazya.ca).

Some of my digital atc work featured in  "SMALL ART, BIG IMPACT--Artist Trading Cards" an exhibition held August-September 2011 at the Oxford Community Art Center in Oxford Ohio. 

2 of my pieces, Paradise Kept (or the Garden of Eden with Uneaten Apple) and Shiny Happy People, were selected to appear at the South Holland Centre from Friday 14th to Thursday 20th January 2011 in the 11th South Holland Open Arts Competition and a further piece, Mind Games,  is being exhibited in the 12th South Holland Arts Exhibition form 29th February to 6th March 2012.

I had an exhibition  at the Room 52 Gallery Wide Bargate, Boston, Lincs, 5th Feb to 18th Feb 2011, and I ran a school workshop there on shadow box making on 16th February.

I have always expressed myself through art and writing. I have a degree in History of Art and English and my poetry was published in books by Faber and Faber and Anvil, and I was one of the group of 6 poets in Ian McMillan's Versewagon. My work was also featured in many magazines including Poetry Review and the Spectator, and was broadcast on BBC Radio 3.  I gave readings all over the country including the South Bank Centre and worked as a writer in residence, as well as working as a Literature Consultant for Lincolnshire and Humberside Arts.

I have also written and drawn the illustrations for gardening books, and, with my husband, taken the photographs. I designed albums and digital photobooks for our work as  wedding and social photographers, and we also enjoy fine art photography, and have our stock photography included in the Alamy photo library.

My current work in shadow boxes combines my poetry and collage.

I am available to run courses and workshops on shadow box making and on mixed media collage.