Shelly Wilkerson

Port Orchard, WA

Shelly Wilkerson and Magical

Shelly Wilkerson, a Kitsap County resident since 2005, moved from New York with her photographer husband, Glen. Her art, fueled by a sharp sense of humor, first gained traction through underground cartoons created during her high-pressure roles in Nuclear Power, Aeronautics, and Transportation scheduling. She credits humor with keeping her grounded. This wit eventually found its way onto canvas, giving rise to the wildly popular “Cat Companions” Series—born from her affinity for old people, cats, and wine. The series exploded into a nationwide phenomenon, with reproductions distributed through a gallery chain spanning most states. Her “Cat Companions Series” has graced design magazines, Air-Tran’s in-flight pages, Southern Magazine, and select galleries across the U.S. and beyond.

Shelly’s artistic journey began at age three when her parents, desperate to quiet their hyperactive toddler, handed her a pad and pencil in the back of the family station wagon with a firm “Shut up and draw.” Her work now celebrates the quirks of aging with a lighthearted, heartwarming flair, rejecting the gloom of growing older. Through her conversation-piece paintings, she portrays characters—never based on models—who shed their bifocals for rose-tinted optimism. These figures come alive on her easel, reflecting her knack for finding humor in the human experience. Her art bridges diverse backgrounds, spotlighting the universal hilarity of life’s later years. Beyond whimsy, Shelly also dives into portraits, pet and people alike, plus abstract works, pen-and-ink, and her latest “Vagaries”—quirky combos that defy convention.

Locally, Shelly founded two galleries in Bremerton and Port Orchard and spearheaded the 2014 Port Orchard Art Walk. Her galleries, dubbed “Crazy Lady Galleries” (an LLC), earned their name not from the fact that they have beloved “shed machines” at home, but from her audacity to juggle the galleries alongside her Boeing Senior Project Scheduler gig—a “crazy” feat. She blames Amy Burnett for that first gallery. They have remained fast friends….despite this. These gallery spaces, hosting 10 to 32 artists at a time, offered life drawing, paint-and-sip nights (since 2009), photography and art classes. Never a co-op but a self-described “dictatorship,” the galleries didn’t turn a profit. A third gallery, (Wilkerson’s Port Orchard Gallery) run by her husband, Glen just closed on February 28, finally affording them some long needed rest. All were run as passion projects to provide venues for local artists. Shelly often funneled her own royalties to animal welfare.

Shelly shrugs off traditional art-world pretensions: “If you want a BFA grad with a rulebook on composition and value, look elsewhere. There isn’t any single type of food, music or art that I like better than another. I chase the unique, something that piques my curiosity. You know… art that cracks open your heart.”