James Shell was a contemporary American printmaker, (20 July 1944- 11 July 2019), studied art at East Carolina University, Penland School of Arts and Crafts, NC, and at Averett College, Danville, Virginia. His works have been extensively exhibited. He has also received numerous awards for his art, including the Pembroke Competition Prize.
Jim's art work was intaglio etching. This method involves making a plate through a process of etching and cutting until it is complete and ready for the press. The metal plate is then run through the press to create the image onto wet paper. The plate is cleaned and re-inked for the next image. After the print is stretched and dried, it is ready to be water-colored, numbered and signed, and matted for distribution. His original etchings are all conceived, executed, and produced in his studio, one at a time. His use of deep etching and aquatint, in particular, helps to convey a strong, almost sculpted quality to his work.
This etching, titled "Of Flowers That Bloom in the Wild", is a delicately composed and finely detailed print blending natural beauty with rustic charm.
The artwork presents a window-like arched composition framing a tranquil rural scene: a small barn or wooden shed with a red roof sits against a soft blue sky, punctuated by billowing white clouds and a solitary green tree. The lines are clean and deliberate, suggesting a controlled printmaking technique — embossing with hand-tinting.
Emerging prominently in the foreground are large, blooming red flowers, their petals textured and dimensional, appearing almost embossed from the paper’s surface. The flowers bridge the boundary between the inner image and the surrounding space, creating a layered effect — both literal and emotional — as if nature is reaching beyond confinement into open air.
Beneath the image, in pencil, is the handwritten title “Of Flowers That Bloom in the Wild” followed by the edition number 16/150, and the artist’s signature, which appears to read “Shell ’81 imp.” (“imp.” likely short for impressit, meaning the artist printed it themselves).
12.5h x 7.5w
1981
116/150
James Shell was a contemporary American printmaker, (20 July 1944- 11 July 2019), studied art at East Carolina University, Penland School of Arts and Crafts, NC, and at Averett College, Danville, Virginia. His works have been extensively exhibited. He has also received numerous awards for his art, including the Pembroke Competition Prize.
Jim's art work was intaglio etching. This method involves making a plate through a process of etching and cutting until it is complete and ready for the press. The metal plate is then run through the press to create the image onto wet paper. The plate is cleaned and re-inked for the next image. After the print is stretched and dried, it is ready to be water-colored, numbered and signed, and matted for distribution. His original etchings are all conceived, executed, and produced in his studio, one at a time. His use of deep etching and aquatint, in particular, helps to convey a strong, almost sculpted quality to his work.
This etching, titled "Of Flowers That Bloom in the Wild", is a delicately composed and finely detailed print blending natural beauty with rustic charm.
The artwork presents a window-like arched composition framing a tranquil rural scene: a small barn or wooden shed with a red roof sits against a soft blue sky, punctuated by billowing white clouds and a solitary green tree. The lines are clean and deliberate, suggesting a controlled printmaking technique — embossing with hand-tinting.
Emerging prominently in the foreground are large, blooming red flowers, their petals textured and dimensional, appearing almost embossed from the paper’s surface. The flowers bridge the boundary between the inner image and the surrounding space, creating a layered effect — both literal and emotional — as if nature is reaching beyond confinement into open air.
Beneath the image, in pencil, is the handwritten title “Of Flowers That Bloom in the Wild” followed by the edition number 16/150, and the artist’s signature, which appears to read “Shell ’81 imp.” (“imp.” likely short for impressit, meaning the artist printed it themselves).
12.5h x 7.5w
1981
116/150
