Shellie Conway the director and creative talent behind Lantern Studios has been a practising artist and designer for twenty years. Shellie's initial training was at the Victorian College of the Arts in Melbourne, where she graduated with a Fine Art degree in Printmaking. She began her career as an exhibiting artist showing in various galleries in Melbourne, as well as assisting major artists with hand cutting and printing large works in both Wood and Lino.
In 1988, Shellie received a prestigious grant from the Australia Council to live and work in Paris at the Cite Internationale des Artes. Upon her return to Australia, she was inspired to combine her talent for printmaking with her passion for the beautiful stationery, paper and cards that she found in the Paperies of France.
With a focus on making her art accessible whilst retaining the integrity of her fine art origins, Shellie launched Shellie Conway Studios, releasing its first range of greeting cards and wrapping paper in October 1989. It was a great success and produced a comprehensive range that sold throughout Australia and oversees.
In 1994, Shellie moved to Sydney and launched Lantern Studios a name chosen as a reference to being guided and illuminated in a new city. As well as new designs in greeting cards and paper, she created a highly successful range of photograph albums, guest books and stationery, products that are now the focus of Lantern Studios carrying the distinctive lantern image that is the brand's signature.
Shellie enjoys mixing fine art and commercial design to create something with beauty and function that can be appreciated by a wider audience. Her passion for design stems from her background and knowledge of the process of making art in a tactile and practical way. For Shellie, being able to apply this passion to creating paper products, stationery and accessories is a perfect partnership.