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The unexpected and devastating loss of her beloved husband prompted Gqeberha artist Shelley-Anne Graham to embrace art full-time and her work now enhances high-end lodges and homes abroad.
Graham’s heartbreak when the father of her two boys died in her arms eight years ago propelled her to follow her dream and seize her chosen career with both hands.
“When I held my husband Adrian for the last time something within me broke. I saw his myriad of dreams die in those last few minutes.
“There wasn’t even time to say goodbye.
“At this point it finally dawned on me how fleeting life is, and maybe, just maybe, I should try to fight just once for the only thing I ever wanted to do,” she said.
Graham, 54, matriculated at Pearson High School before graduating with a National Higher Diploma in Fine Art (printmaking) from the then PE Technikon.
She did not feel brave enough to employ her fine art skills as her livelihood.
“I was too nervous to follow a full-time career in art. I never bought into the follow your dreams paradigm.
“It seemed unrealistic, idealistic and out of touch with reality. So I didn’t.”
Instead, she followed a 22-year-old career path that included graphic design and art tutoring in Cape Town, the United Kingdom and Gqeberha.
“I didn’t follow my heart until my husband died and at that crossroad I took the path contrary to all reason and sensible advice.
“Somehow I just wasn’t brave enough before.”
Her arresting multimedia pieces always feature women but her choice of muse is a mystery to her.
“I have tried to analyse why I always paint women. I have yet to uncover the reason for my fascination.
“Could it be that I just love the beauty of the female form? I’m not sure.
“My work provides a portal into a world where dreams and failures are intertwined.
“Through metaphors of birds and wings I emphasise the necessity of finding your flight path despite fear of the unknown. You have one lifetime to do so.
“A lone female figure is my muse eternal. With her, I create mixed media works.
“I make use of traditional and digital tools, acrylics, oils and collage to create my subtly emotive, feminine pieces.
“Above all else, I hope that my art serves as a path to silence. For it is here purpose is pursued every single day.”
In addition to her enigmatic art pieces, Graham also produces functional art in the form of cushions to add personality to interiors.
“I thought I would take the whole picture into account and make it easy for people to create a focal point with the art they buy.
“I do find that sometimes it is not so much what you buy, but how you put it together that makes for a beautiful, vibey personal space.
“To me there is nothing worse than everything that matches to the tee, I find it incredibly boring.
“So I designed some cushions that will work independently as artworks on a couch, but also a few standard patterns that add interest without overpowering the art.
“I call it the mix-not-match approach. It also means you can decorate less expensively and with more personality.”
The Chelsea home she shares with children Luca, 17, and Cody, 15, as well as dogs Dash and Daisy, has a garden studio which harks back to a time when her husband was still alive.
Over the years since his death it has devolved into a storage facility. Her lounge now serves as her creative space.
“At the moment the studio is so full of stuff I can’t use it.
“Initially when Adrian died, I worked a lot at night and my children didn’t like being in the house alone.
“So I moved my studio to my lounge. That was the start of the death of my studio.
“It filled up year by year and now I need another life to get some order.”
Life as a single mother has been gruelling, she says, though she has a “part angel, part human” friend who helps with lifting her children and a mother who pitches in too, giving her time to create.
Though she confesses to loathing posting on social media, she does have a website to market her work where customers from the UK, Australia and Norway have signalled their delight upon receiving their arty orders.
Her work is also to be found in galleries Manzart in Franschhoek and Artyli in Sandton, while Gqeberha’s Brioche Restaurant also displays her work.
Graham always knew she would be an artist.
“I never considered anything else. As a shy little girl growing up I was constantly doodling and drawing.
“School was repetitive in that teachers scolded me saying: ‘Beautiful illustrations Shelley, what about the text?’
“Going to art school and studying fine art was a no-brainer. Four years of happiness, dedicated learning and carefree living followed.
“I also happened to meet my photographer husband on the beach during one of those breezy moments.”
The sudden death of her husband who she describes as “gorgeous, compassionate, seriously creative and devoted to my boys and I” rocked her world.
“To honour Adrian I would like to mention his last night. Clearly he was literally on death’s door, but do you know what he did with that time?
“He was at judo with his boys on the mat. Then when he came home, as was tradition, my little one got his treasured nightly massage.
“Adrian then walked up the stairs and dropped down dead. That is what a dedicated father looks like.”
The tears she has shed since that life-changing day led to deep introspection and the startling realisation that everything in life has an expiry date.
“If I could say one thing to the world at large it would be to seize your life, your opportunities, your destiny and immeasurably love those by your side.
“Follow your dreams if at all possible. Otherwise simply find moments for your soul to be free, to consider eternity.
“For this life is a gift with an expiry date and tomorrow was never promised.
“After Adrian’s death, I live by a different code.
“I choose to paint, I choose to create, I choose to love recklessly and above all I choose risk over mediocrity. I am done with dying.”
And so Graham is embarking on an art dream in which she wishes to incorporate personal elements into artworks which will pay homage to clients’ “past and present loves”.
“These will be either one-off prints or originals — catering to all budgets.
“I am doing it at ‘crowd funding’ prices, just to get the word out there.
“These would be ‘lest we forget’ artworks, so to say.
“Not in a cheesy way and also not to encourage living in the past, but rather a piece that says: “I see you, I hear you, now look up from wherever you are. There is time yet to fly.”
For more see www.shelley-anne.com
Weekender
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