Shirley Anderson proves it’s never too late to pursue a passion for art. After working in a crime lab and retiring from project management, she found peace in painting plein air — creating art outdoors — using soft pastels.
“I want people to see my world the way I see my world,” Shirley says.
Shirley took on art lessons as a way to relax after leaving the corporate world. Today, she finds the most joy in teaching.
“I just want to share all of my knowledge and my experience and make people the best artists they can be,” she says.
“Ouachita Fall,” featured on the cover, originated from a group plein air session Shirley did in the scenic Ouachita National Falls.
“The whole basis of my landscapes is that calm feeling — that connection with nature, that atmospheric perspective that makes it look like you can just walk into them,” she says.
Shirley is the co-founder of the Arkansas Pastel Society and the Vice President of the International Association of Pastel Societies. She is also a part of the 2023-2025 and 2025-2027 Artist Registry for the Arkansas Committee of the National Museum of Women in the Arts.
See more of Shirley’s work at Art Group Gallery or visit shirleyandersonart.com.