Shirley Monestier is an African-American artist and art collector living in Bordeaux, France. She first ventured into the art world in 1992, when she moved to France and enrolled in the Municipal School for Arts and Plastics in Taverny, France.
Shirley’s artworks are vibrant, bold, and diverse, with a moving, sublime quality. She describes her art styles as “abstract/expressionism, culture and nature.” She uses acrylic, oil paints, and mixed media to create her works.
Inspiration for Shirley’s paintings comes from various sources … abstract vision, nature, world cultures, international travels, and spiritual journeys. Her artworks have been exhibited in international venues such as the Mona Bismarck Foundation (Paris, FR), Taverny’s Municipal Center (Taverny, FR), Biblioteca Los Mangos, (Puerto Vallarta MX), Los Cruiza Gallery (Puerto Vallarta, MX), Tandy’s Art Boutique and Gallery (Bucerias, MX) and R. Blake Private Art Gallery (Washington, DC, USA). Her artworks have found new residences in France, Canada, Mexico and the United States.
Shirley’s contribution to COVID-19 PAGES is called “The Masks We Wear.” Here’s the story behind this work: “We wear masks for various reasons, for fun, to hide, change image, for healthcare, etc. The female is wearing her mask for fun. Mardi Gras, the jokers are changing their images, and the boy is masking up for health purposes. In painting the boy, I thought of Asians who wear masks daily for protection. “I painted this original artwork in 2017 and it is still relevant to the present 2020 Covid-19 pandemic.”
To visit COVID-19 PAGES: The Influence & Inspiration of Women, click on the following link: https://wellsinternationalfoundation.org/covid-19-pages-exhibit/
