Robyn Shelly

Robyn comes from a commercial business background but during her career she continued her creative pursuits in her spare time. From photography, jewellery making, beading, cooking and writing she has returned to one of her first loves. Textiles.
One of her earliest pieces was black cotton on a white facial tissue at about the age of 3 about which she was reminded teasingly by family members before she commenced her Diploma of Arts course at the Box Hill Institute.

Robyn learned some of her earliest techniques from her grandmother who was a keen practitioner of embroidery, crochet and, the one thing Robyn will declare she has absolutely no affinity with, knitting.

She takes her inspiration from the sea having dived on many sites in the Pacific and Indian Oceans but she is particularly interested in the life of the Southern Ocean waters of Australia. Another influence on her work is her love of travel. In the past she has travelled extensively in South East Asia, India and the Pacific including North America.
Her work is like her, she does not limit herself to a single technique or ability, she laughingly describes herself as a Jill of all Trades and Mistress of none and that is reflected in the spectrum of her work and interests.

“It’s either that or a low boredom threshold”

She is an active volunteer in the community and enjoys teaching in the community realm.

Robyn Shelly:

The Phoenix for me denotes a rebirth. A life changing experience a few years back caused me to reassess my outlook. I came to realise that life was simply too short to be absorbed by the mundane. This is my chance to start over in a widening world of creativity after many years of working in the practical and pragmatic world of commerce. It is a chance for me to reinvent my life like the Phoenix and emerge with new feathers, not in the drab wear of commerce but the brilliant hues of creativity.