2023 SeniorSpotlights Amijae Shells

In a series of finely detailed portraits of black men, created during his senior seminar at Albright College, Amijae Shells expertly captures the physical and psychic state of his subjects. His work intrinsically combines shape, texture, and color, a style that he began developing as early as the age of six. Coming to Albright, he knew he wanted to continue working on his artistic abilities and processes as a studio art major, and his latest work proves that such decisive dedication is paying off.

As demonstrated in his series of work, Shells’s go-to art style is realism, but during his four years at Albright, he’s begun to redefine the traditional portrait. “With majority of my help coming from my advisor and favorite teacher, Kristen Woodward, I feel as if I was able to break out of my limited shell of artmaking,” he says. “In Kristen’s class, I was challenged to think and be more expressive with the art I was trying to create. I feel that all the painting classes I’ve taken with Kristen have allowed me to see another side of creating art and inspired me to always push my creative limits.”

Beyond Albright’s traditional art courses, Shells has also worked with muralist Mike Miller. “My favorite project that I worked on at Albright was the facilitation of the Kimberton Whole Foods mural,” he says, “It was my first time being a part of a mural creation, or even taking a mural course.” Shells explains that it’s amazing to see a project he personally worked on at such a grand scale, and he even got the chance to sketch the bees that overlook the store’s produce section.

After graduation, Shells hopes to continue establishing his style and create his own, unique clothing brand. “Besides that, I would just like to spend more time with my family, and work to get my little sister through the medical school of her choosing.” With the skills and processes he’s learned at Albright, it seems Shells is well on his way to being successful in any artistic path he chooses.