Work samples

  • Ladies First- 50 years of Hip Hop
    Ladies First- 50 years of Hip Hop

    12 x 16 Mixed media collage on Giclee,

  • Count your what?
    Count your what?

    12 x 16 black and white photo on Premium semi-matte.

  • Facing decisions
    Facing decisions
    11 x 14 mixed media collage on canvas
  • Watch the little foxes
    Watch the little foxes
    11 x 14, mixed media collage on canvas

About Tonya

"Stop thinking about art work as objects, and start thinking about them as triggers for experiences" (Brian Eno).  Tonya Blue Shelby also known as Shelby Blue began making mixed media collage art in 2017 after experiencing physical burnout and systematic bullying from the school system she worked for. Collage art became her space of refuge and a conduit for peace to restore positive well-being. Her collage portraits tell the narrative of the societal and emotional ills women… more

180 Days

180 has a variety of meanings to most. For example 180 is a change in direction or behavior; for some it is used to describe time. For teachers who are burnt out it’s a prison sentence. Teachers are often caught counting the days until the weekend, a holiday break, or summer recess. The 180 days scribes a narrative for the school year with the results being a language desiring freedom. The new series “180 Days” takes you on my journey of vulnerability as I navigate my last school year as a middle school teacher before resigning. Most teachers walk into their classrooms emotionally naked, torn, and in need of healing. Unfortunately, we are waiting to be rescued by a system that doesn’t see our well-being as essential.  

 

  • Resignation without full retirement
    Resignation without full retirement

    12 x 16 black and white photo on Premium semi-matte.

  • Going to sign in- The Baggage Handler
    Going to sign in- The Baggage Handler

    12 x 16 black and white photo on Premium semi-matte.

  • Mealtime- 30 minutes
    Mealtime- 30 minutes

    12 x 16 black and white photo on Premium semi-matte.

  • Planning period- how to work in clutter
    Planning period- how to work in clutter

    12 x 16 black and white photo on Premium semi-matte.

  • Counting your what?!
    Counting your what?!

    12 x 16 black and white photo on Premium semi-matte.

  • School daze-The honeymoon is over!
    School daze-The honeymoon is over!

    12 x 16 black and white photo on Premium semi-matte.

Dianoia- Happy Bloom Year

As we embark on a new year, let us not get stuck in past events by making them present tense. This series reveals the dawning of a new day in the reflection of her what shades her vision. 11 x 14 Mixed media collage on acrylic.

  • Thankful Resolve of December
    Thankful Resolve of December

    11 x 14 Mixed media collage on acrylic.

  • September is October''s pride
    September is October''s pride

    11 x 14 Mixed media collage on acrylic.

  • The awe of August
    The awe of August

    11 x 14 Mixed media collage on acrylic.

  • Julying in purple
    Julying in purple

    11 x 14 Mixed media collage on acrylic.

  • May I change for Summer
    May I change for Summer

    11 x 14 Mixed media collage on acrylic.

  • April is no fool
    April is no fool

    11 x 14 Mixed media collage on acrylic.

  • Marching into march: still committed
    Marching into march: still committed

    11 x 14 Mixed media collage on acrylic.

  • January- Her insight
    January- Her insight

    11 x 14 Mixed media collage on acrylic.

The courage to surrender

As women of color, community is the core of our existence. Consulting before decision making is the key to our success. It's not about having the right answers, but asking the right questions. This series inquires you to interrogate your thought patterns of who you are and who you have yet to become. For many of us the answer is the question and who we allow to be our number 1 consultant. This series leaves you wondering and asking questions and the beckons courage to follow the advice.

  • Where it begins?
    Where it begins?
    11 x 14, mixed media collage, 2023
  • Forward- March!!!
    Forward- March!!!
    11 x 14, mixed media collage on canvas, 2023
  • It is so
    It is so
    11 x 14, mixed media collage on acrylic (2023)
  • Peaceful journey
    Peaceful journey
    12 x12, mixed media collage on acrylic (2023)

Proverbs 31

Have you ever felt the presence of a woman before she enters the room? Her smell, her esence shifts the atmosphere before she utters a word. Proverbs 31 talks bout the charactersistics of a good wife. I believe these virtues are  already within everyone woman before they are found by their husbands. The series, Proverbs 31 captures the beauty of women from Baltimore in black and white,  while the colors around them express the virtues they possess. Featured at Jubilee Arts Center in the summer of 2022, I present to you Proverbs 31.

  • Community Leader
    Community Leader
    2022, 11 x 14 Mixed media collage on canvas
  • Holistic Healer
    Holistic Healer
    2022, 18 x 24, mixed media collage
  • Creatyve Genius
    Creatyve Genius
    2022, 12x12, mixed media collage on canvas
  • Before the sun rises
    Before the sun rises
    2022, 16 x 24, mixed media collage

The Shed Experience

It's time to uncover our faces and let the scales of doubt and uncertainty fall from our eyes. Let's shed what others have said about us and remove the labels that are now liabilities! Welcome to the Shed Experience!
  • Fail-Her Not
    Fail-Her Not
    2021, 11 x 14, mixed media collage
  • She sheds
    She sheds
    2021, 30 x 50 inches, mixed media collage
  • Clear Eyes
    Clear Eyes
    2021, 11 x 14, Mixed media collage
  • Survivors Soul
    Survivors Soul
    2021, 11 x 14, mixed media collage
  • Behold Her
    Behold Her
    2021, 11 x 14, mixed medial collage on acrylic.
  • Survivors Strength
    Survivors Strength
    2021, 18 x 24, mixed medial collage on acrylic.
  • The power of the tongue
    The power of the tongue
    2021, 11 x 14, mixed media collage on acrylic
  • Voices Carry
    Voices Carry
    2021, 11 x 14 mixed media collage
  • Happy Go Seek
    Happy Go Seek
    2021, 9 x 12, mixed media collage on acrylic
  • I be well.
    I be well.
    2021, 16x 24, mixed media collage.