Shelley Batcules, named after the Romantic poet Percy Bysshe Shelley, is a contemporary Canadian artist, born and raised in the Niagara Region, Ontario. Shelley comes from a rich artistic tradition as her grandmother Frances Scourfield (1915 - 2008) was a prolific oil painter from Reading, England who painted many portraits, horses, and landscapes in the romantic tradition of John Constable (1776 - 1837) which stimulated Shelley’s fascination with painting very early in life. Throughout childhood Shelley spent most of her free time drawing portraits and landscapes further tempting her strong desire to study art formally. Shelley created the family tradition plaque below to commemorate her history, and is available for commissions.

The AGO Community Access Partnership represents a major resource for the public, and for our “ART as Therapy” program. The myriad of changes both large and small that our participants have undergone is profound and the experiences have stimulated them to reach out for much more in their lives.

SMART SCKOOL co-founder Shelley Batcules discusses art history, subject matter, styles, techniques and expressive qualities in each piece while teaching participants to draw. The experience stimulates people to explore latent abilities and be more fearless about embracing their personal creative potential. Special AGO staff members contribute a sense of being welcome and encourage social interaction while we draw.