The former Daytona Beach native rose to popularity fairly quickly since his October 2016 start. His passion for art came a lot earlier in his life though.

“I probably was like 10 years old when I truly had a passion for art. I was always doodling in class. What inspired me was when I watched nickelodeon and illustrators  demonstrated how to draw your favorite cartoons. I was so fascinated by it and really wanted to draw like them” – Captain Shel

 

 

 

Shel’s artwork on canvas soon transitioned to artwork on clothing. Having something to hang on your wall is one thing, but having it to wear around is being real awareness to the 90’s style and culture.

“I stayed with 90s because it brings really good vibes and memories to the people who loved that 90’s cartoon era. It was a way for me to bring in people’s attention.”

 

 

 

“The first piece that went viral was the Rugrats Jersey. It was very unexpected and exciting. But I always been mentally ready for it to take off, just playing the waiting game.”

Ever since his viral video Shel has been moving non stop! Especially since every request is custom. Every thing he does is hand draw and painted from scratch which adds to the authenticity. I asked him what was the most difficult starting off and he said it was teaching himself how to get better and learning how to be more efficient from watching artist before him.

The toughest thing about doing request is that sometimes people may want art that he isn’t familiar with. One request he got was the original Mickey Mouse when it was first released. Although, I believe Captain Shel is ready to venture off into other realms of art, I feel that right now he wants to focus on the 90’s.

 

 

 

Being an artist is difficult. You have to be in the right state of mind to create art and new ideas. I asked Shel about the difficulty being an artist :

“The toughest part about being an artist is when you’re not in the right state of mind sometimes. Your brain can go blank and ideas don’t pop up. Sometimes it means you need to just take a little break, but never give up!”

When his mind goes blank and he needs a brief break, I asked Shel what gets his mind back motivated :

“The City of Daytona really helped me out because I just want to bring success back to the city and show the youth they can do whatever you want as long as you believe. With so much going on in the city, you have to find something positive to replace the bad.” 

All-in-all everyone has a final goal. Captain Shel said his final goal is to simply be known as an artist that can paint on clothing, canvases, and any object he puts his mind to. “Sky is the limit!”, he concludes.

I see Shel as a very humble artist who is really just glad that he can bring the wave of the 90’s back into the public eye. Show your support! God bless

Contact :

Website: http://www.captainshel.com
Facebook: captain_shel
Instagram: captain_shel

Written by Bruce Walton