Shirley Cunningham is an artist who spent 30 years in the world of fashion and who for the last 15 years has been pursuing art in a more traditional format.

She has used fabric as her paint and the female body as her canvas since she began sewing at age 12. In pursuit of pieces for her art, she combs vintage clothing stores all over the country. To maintain the integrity of each piece, Shirley personally performs each step of the creation process from the hand- cleaning to the sewing on of each button. The unique character of each painting expresses her desire to create for the sophisticated preferences of the wearable art connoisseur.

When asked about her other art forms this is how she explains her approach:

     "A writer once said in order to create you must love the stuff you use. He was, of course, talking about words, the way they look on the page, the way they sound, their rhythm, the sensation in the mouth when you speak them; but the "stuff" applies to all who create. Although I use many elements in my art, the "stuff" I truly love is fabric and fiber, so the art I create is filed with these elements. I use fabric in the same way many would use paint and a needle as a paint brush. It is my hope that as one views my work, one might gain a new appreciation of the "stuff" I love and see fabric, fibers and other found things in a new way."