Sheila Letitia: Mindscapes

September 5-27, 2025
Sheila Letitia: Mindscapes
Opening reception: Friday, September 5, 5:00-9:00 PM
The Emporium, 100 S. Gay Street. Gallery hours: Mon-Fri 9-5; Sat 10-1; Additional hours: Fridays Sep 12, 19 & 26, 5-7 PM (Gallery 1010 openings).

Sheila Letitia is an abstract expressionist painter born in Oak Ridge and residing in Knoxville. Growing up, she spent summers hiking and camping with family in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and her art evolved out of these experiences. She graduated with a fine arts degree from the University of Tennessee, and after raising a family, recently returned to painting and drawing. Letitia creates captivating works of art originating from her fascination with the natural world.

One of my earliest memories from childhood is standing in a creek behind my house in my black and yellow rain boots searching for daddy long-legs and salamanders, completely captivated by this little world. As I grew up, this tiny world also grew. In the Great Smoky Mountains, the smell of damp moss, the feel of wet sand and mud between my toes, and the incredible, natural beauty everywhere awakened all my senses. The connection of it all; new life, death, and decay. I always return to botanical forms, seeds, flowers, nuts, etc. and how everything is connected psychologically and physically. Even though my current paintings have evolved into a more abstract state, the basis for all my art still originates from natural, organic forms, lines and colors. Presently I experiment with creating ethereal environments. Much like a kaleidoscope distorts an image into intricate pieces of colorful patterns, I use simple shapes derived from nature and “fracture” them into multifaceted compositions of shifting imagery. Through a process of repetitive layering, this broken imagery evolves into a harmonious existence representing the interconnectedness of all things and the beauty in life’s complexities.

Instagram @sjletitia.art