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Gloria Shaw
USA
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“Colors dance across the surface, echoing emotions I cannot speak.”
Gloria Shaw is an artist who openly acknowledges that words are not her natural medium. For her, verbal expression often feels limiting, while visual expression feels liberating. It is only through the act of making art that she feels fully at ease communicating her inner world. Art gives her a voice where language falters, allowing her to shape emotions, memories, and ideas into tangible form.
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Born in Pasadena, California, Gloria discovered her passion for art at a very young age. She would often invent stories and create illustrations to bring them to life. At the age of eight or nine, she received her first painting set, a gift that became a turning point in her creative journey. From that moment forward, she never stopped creating pictures, developing a lifelong habit of translating her imagination into visual images.
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Although she did not initially pursue art as a formal career, Gloria chose to study it in college as an elective, motivated by her own enjoyment and curiosity. After graduation, she dedicated many years to teaching high school, focusing primarily on dance and drama. These teaching years had a profound impact on her artistic practice. She often describes her approach to paper as if it were a stage, with forms and shapes acting as dancers, and the rhythms of movement guiding the viewer’s eye across the composition.
“Every mark I make carries rhythm, silence, and hidden memory.”
This theatrical sensibility continues to inform her work. The interplay of space, line, and rhythm echoes her background in performance and lends her artwork a dynamic energy. Critics and collectors alike have praised her extraordinary sense of color and rhythm, qualities that can be traced back to her years of choreographing movement and guiding dramatic expression. Her canvases and prints capture a similar vitality, as if each element is part of a larger performance.
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Over the years, Gloria has worked with a variety of media, including oils, acrylics, pen and ink, and printmaking. While she values these explorations, she ultimately considers herself primarily a printmaker. Her printmaking journey began with traditional techniques such as etching and block printing, but her practice took a new direction when she encountered monoprinting. The immediacy and freedom of this medium captivated her, allowing for a level of spontaneity and experimentation that aligned closely with her creative spirit.
“When I work, ego disappears and imagination takes over; shapes, lines, and rhythms become performers, leading the viewer into a world of personal discovery and interpretation.”
“Creating art is a surrender, not a performance. I let the process take me to places beyond thought, where images form out of instinct and intuition. For me, abstraction is not imitation but revelation, uncovering the unspoken layers of feeling that live beneath daily life. Each piece carries its own energy, inviting viewers to see differently, to reflect, and to experience something uniquely their own. In that exchange, art becomes both personal and universal — a bridge between my inner world and the countless interpretations of others.”
Her exploration of monoprinting soon expanded into hybrid forms. Gloria began combining monoprints with block prints, collages, cutting and weaving, and even integrating pencil drawings and pastels. Each experiment opened new avenues for self-expression. For her, the creative process is a state of flow in which the ego dissolves, and the act of making becomes everything and nothing. This meditative engagement with her work gives her art a depth that resonates strongly with viewers.
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Abstract art holds particular significance for Gloria. To her, abstraction is more authentic than imitation because it comes directly from within. It is not an attempt to copy nature, but rather an effort to convey internal emotions and sensations. She believes abstract work is real precisely because it allows both artist and viewer to encounter feelings and ideas beyond literal representation. Each person brings their own vision and interpretation, making her work a space for dialogue rather than a fixed statement.
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By 1989, Gloria was exhibiting her art regularly, starting in Southern California at events such as the Beverly Hills “Affaire in the Garden” and the Santa Monica Fine Arts Festival. Her talent was quickly recognized, and she won First Place for Graphics at Santa Monica two years in a row. In 1990, she joined L.A. Art/Installations One in Encino, California, where her work was included in significant exhibitions such as Femme/Abstraction, The Body Eclectic, Salon 91, Hard Edge Abstractions, and Printmaking Show.
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Abstraction opens doors, letting feelings move freely without restraint.”
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In the fall of 1993, Gloria relocated to Monterey County and became deeply involved in the local art community. She joined the Artists’ Equity organization, serving on its board and later as president for two years. During this time, she helped establish the annual Artists Studio Tour, which has since become a beloved event for locals and tourists alike. Her commitment extended beyond her personal practice to fostering opportunities for fellow artists and strengthening the cultural life of her community.
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Gloria’s dedication was further recognized through solo exhibitions, including a one-woman show at the Pacific Grove Art Center in 1998 and another at the Alvarado Gallery in the Monterey Conference Center later that same year. In 2000, her focus shifted temporarily when she and her husband opened a Charter School designed to encourage creativity and individualized learning for students who did not thrive in traditional settings. Now retired from teaching, she has returned to her art with renewed energy, continuing to explore printmaking, abstraction, and the limitless ways in which art can express what words cannot.
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“The stage of paper transforms into a dialogue of vision.”
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