An artist who abandoned her brushes and palette knife to instead create vibrant paintings with her hands, is displaying her work at the Fine Foundation Gallery at Durlston Country Park in Dorset.
Bournemouth artist Shelley Perry’s exhibition called Colour and Coast runs until Tuesday 4th August 2026 and she is also inviting visitors to get their hands dirty – well, painty – at two workshops.
Shelley creates vibrant canvases
Richly textured and expressive
Drawing inspiration from the places she has lived and explored with her family, Shelley aims to capture the beauty and essence of landscapes with bold, often neon colours and as she uses only the side of her hand or middle fingers, her acrylic canvases are richly textured and expressive.
Shelley says art should be a process of letting go:
“I trained as a primary school teacher specialising in art but about two years ago I had an opportunity to concentrate more on my painting. Around the same time, there was an art competition held in Sway in Hampshire with the theme Hold On – Let Go!
“I tried to think what I could do to make this meaningful. You’ve got to take risks in life otherwise you don’t develop, so I just thought I could literally let go of my paint brushes and I haven’t looked back!”
Shelley Perry with her prints created on an ipad and one of her original bags
Plenty of cards to buy
Two workshops
Shelley will be hosting two workshops during her exhibition. The first is a Colour and Coast Minis family drop-in on Sunday 26th July 2026, where children and big kids can learn some of Shelley’s techniques painting on a mini canvas. The cost is £5 a person with all materials included, no booking required.
The second is a Hand Painting Landscape workshop for adults from 11 am to 1 pm on Thursday 30th July 2026. The cost is £30 with all materials included and booking is required.
Shelley paints two canvases at once – as she creates a landcape painting, she also records each colour that she uses to produce an abstract painting
Happy to experiment with colour, these paintings incorporate neon coloured ink
“Happy to play with the paint”
Shelley added:
“The workshops are for anyone, whatever their level of experience. I often find those who claim they’re not painters actually do really well – maybe they are happier to let go and have fun?
“The key is just to be happy to play with the paint – feel free and uninhibited!”
Interesting landscapes with their abstract pair
Blues and greens plus neon pink!
“Striking pieces”
Shannon Dugdale from Durlston Country Park said:
“We are very excited to welcome Shelley’s exhibition into the Fine Foundation Gallery. Her unique approach and style creates such striking pieces that visitors will certainly enjoy.”
Further information
- More about the Colour and Coast exhibition or to book the workshop for adults
- The exhibition is open daily from 10.30 am to 4.30 pm at the Fine Foundation Gallery, Durlston Country Park
