Treasure a Shelly Sazdanoff original
I’ve known Shelly Sazdanoff and her husband since High School. We weren’t particularly close then, but a somewhat serendipitous event reconnected us as adults and I’m so grateful that it did. Here’s the story…
When Bryan and I were living in Prague and I was ridiculously pregnant with Thaddeus, we went to this little church largely made up of expats. One Sunday, a friend came up to us after church and said, “You have to come meet this couple, they’re from Scottsdale and they think they know you.” I spent most of my growing up years in Scottsdale, Arizona, and so I waddled my tired very pregnant body over to meet them.
Now, have you ever had that experience where you see something out of context and it takes you awhile to place it? Yeah, I’m a little embarrassed to say it took me a solid ten minutes of conversation with Shelly and her husband, Jeremiah, before I exclaimed, “Oh, my goodness, Jeremiah and Shelly!” Jeremiah and I had even been in the same class and hung out a bit. It was completely awkward and ridiculous how long it took me to realize who they were. We all had a good laugh about it and ended up having dinner together soon after and realizing that we actually had some shared interests and connection beyond just high school.
In fact, Shelly and Jeremiah are pretty much some of the coolest people I know.
Over the years since then, I have had the pleasure of watching as Shelly started to create art. Watching her come into her own and develop her style and ability has been one of the most fascinating and inspiring things I have ever observed.
Her art has grown and shifted and changed, but I can see in each change a growing confidence and strength. It’s a difficult thing to describe or pinpoint really, like watching a writer discovering their voice. It feels like there’s something of the miraculous in it.
Shelly’s work is modern, clean, and sophisticated, yet it never feels dry or bland to me. It feels living. There’s something about her work that always evokes feeling in me, and isn’t that the true test of an artist? The ability to evoke feeling. The ability to affect an audience. Shelly’s work does just that.
But, Shelly isn’t just brilliantly creative and artistic, she’s also one of the most kindhearted people I know. She’s always quick to send an encouraging note when things have been difficult for Bryan and I, and, when I told her about this auction idea, she was one of the first to jump right in with this wonderful donation.
This piece would make a stunning statement in any room. Shelly does all the weaving by hand and then applies concrete on top, the mix of textures subtly draws your attention to the contrast.
So, start bidding and add this stunning piece to your collection.
