About Bloom Studio

Shelley Bailey's work is playful, tactile, and hard to miss. She captures the rhythmic energy of the natural world, and builds touchable texture in a rare way that makes you almost think you can eat the painting.

In her own words..

I was never told I couldn't paint, and I think that made all the difference.

Both of my parents have been artists. My father filled his home with large oil impasto waterfalls, dense with foliage, luscious and captivating. My mum painted landscapes when she was younger, though her gift was never encouraged and she never displayed her work. I've since found boxes of it, and it's gorgeous. Different in style to my father's, but that's the magic of artistry. Growing up surrounded by that, painting was never a hobby for me. It's always felt more like breathing.

I'm largely self-taught, and I've spent most of my life around Newcastle, Maitland, Morpeth, Warners Bay, and Caves Beach. Those places — the light, the lushness, the salt air — are woven into everything I make.

My technique came together when two worlds collided. I've always been drawn to the texture of impasto painting, but I never wanted to wait weeks between layers the way oil demands. Acrylics changed that. I can build up layer by layer, pushing paint centimetres off the canvas, and still add more the next day. When I discovered that rhythm, it reminded me of decorating a cake — I have a background in commercial cookery — and once I saw that connection, I couldn't not weld the two worlds together.

These days I often paint with my toddler beside me, both of us working from the same palette. She's already experimenting boldly, and sitting with her makes me a better artist. My studio is in my home, because that's where my heart is.

My purpose — in art and in life — is to make people feel safe, relaxed, and genuinely nurtured. I've always chosen work that gives me that opportunity, and I take it seriously. I want someone to hang one of my pieces and feel joy. A quiet, warm, unhurried kind of joy. The kind that reminds you that the very air we breathe is a gift.

You can also find me on YouTube @Shell123ey, where I share my process — including why my paintings look suspiciously edible.