about Shell Fritz
We live on the road now. My husband and I — two artists chasing light across the country…with paint.
Each new place gives me something unexpected.
I paint from the outside in. Nature is my constant — its creatures, its blooms, its quiet. Every day, it shows me who I am.
I love all the tools in my art box, but watercolor moves like air — following its own will, charting its own path. I may try to guide it, to contain it, to shape it into reflections of the world around me.
Yet, in the end, it's simply pigment and water swirling together, like two rivers merging — a confluence that creates its own powerful, unpredictable force.
Each new place gives me something unexpected.
I paint from the outside in. Nature is my constant — its creatures, its blooms, its quiet. Every day, it shows me who I am.
I love all the tools in my art box, but watercolor moves like air — following its own will, charting its own path. I may try to guide it, to contain it, to shape it into reflections of the world around me.
Yet, in the end, it's simply pigment and water swirling together, like two rivers merging — a confluence that creates its own powerful, unpredictable force.
When I paint, time stretches. The noise drops out. I’m gone creating portals into another world where characters from the minds of Lewis Carroll or L. Frank Baum could appear at any moment on their way to a new adventure.
I’m not chasing deadlines anymore. No more fitting myself into freelance calendars, into inboxes, into what’s expected.
I’m chasing something slower. Something sacred. A bond with the natural world that reminds me I am already enough.
My artwork cames from that place. Each piece is a conversation between me and the earth — quiet, steady, alive.
I hope when someone stands in front of it, they feel as involved with the characters, be it flora or fauna, as I did while painting.
That moment of breath. That reminder to return to themselves. To slow down, soften, and stay a little longer.
Because that’s what nature does.
And now, so does my work.
I’m chasing something slower. Something sacred. A bond with the natural world that reminds me I am already enough.
My artwork cames from that place. Each piece is a conversation between me and the earth — quiet, steady, alive.
I hope when someone stands in front of it, they feel as involved with the characters, be it flora or fauna, as I did while painting.
That moment of breath. That reminder to return to themselves. To slow down, soften, and stay a little longer.
Because that’s what nature does.
And now, so does my work.
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experience
As a professionally trained artist with a BFA in Painting and a background in printmaking and graphic communication, I bring both creativity and industry insight to surface design.
With years of experience in the print and graphic design industries, I’m used to working under tight deadlines and understand the importance of clear, consistent communication throughout a fast-moving production process.
My designs are inspired by real places and experiences. I grew up in Missouri’s rolling hills and now travel full-time across the U.S. in a motorcoach studio with my husband (also an artist), painting the natural beauty we find along the way.
Notable commissions include a media campaign for the CDC, large-scale murals for Kansas City’s Bartle Hall Convention Center and public schools, and educational design projects for the U.S. Department of Education. I’ve also received support from ArtsKC and the Charlotte Street Foundation, including a Rocket Grant funded by the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts.
With years of experience in the print and graphic design industries, I’m used to working under tight deadlines and understand the importance of clear, consistent communication throughout a fast-moving production process.
My designs are inspired by real places and experiences. I grew up in Missouri’s rolling hills and now travel full-time across the U.S. in a motorcoach studio with my husband (also an artist), painting the natural beauty we find along the way.
Notable commissions include a media campaign for the CDC, large-scale murals for Kansas City’s Bartle Hall Convention Center and public schools, and educational design projects for the U.S. Department of Education. I’ve also received support from ArtsKC and the Charlotte Street Foundation, including a Rocket Grant funded by the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts.
influences
My line quality and color palette is heavily tainted by early Warner Brother's animation. I know that my love for stacked perspective is drawn from the hours I've spent playing with pop-up books while working at the Nelson Museum bookstore back in the early 90's.
Other artistic influences in random order include:
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Warner Brothers
Shell Silverstein
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Edward Gorey
Hundertwasser
Joseph Cornell
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Eva Hess
Wayne Thiebaud
Dr. Seuss
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Taking photo references in Nashville, TN
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In studio at Rensing Center, SC
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Painting on Vancouver Island, BC
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