PARK CITY, Utah — Local artist Shell Gardiner returns to Main Street after almost 6-year hiatus. While her original store used to be on upper Main Street across from Grappa, she is now at 605 Main Street in Suite 202. She runs the store herself, so a visit to Park City Designer and Art is also a rare opportunity to meet the artist and see her original, one-of-a-kind art.

Have business, will relocate for grandkids

Gardiner opened her original store in 2010 and was very successful as an interior designer, but she moved to Washington State to be close to her grandchild. She continued running a business in Bainbridge, which she called Sea Glass Living Coast. Over the past five years her family continued to grow from one grandchild to 11, most of which are in Utah, so she returned to Park City. In the meantime, she developed “Grandma and Me” paintings that are collaborations with her family and are given as presents or sold. She opened Park City Designer and Art in September.

Watercolor painting has attracted her since childhood

As a child, Gardiner’s strength was sketch art, but watercolor painting kept tugging at her. Her grandmother was a pastel artist. At BYU she studied literature and writing but watercolor art won out. The first two pieces she sold were of trees. She ran her first store on upper Main Street, and when Park City businesses would close during mud season Gardiner would take off for Europe. She spent much of her time in Paris going to museums. One of her favorites is the Musée d’Orsay. She studied Vincent van Gogh’s paintings and loves artwork painted with emotion.

Ready for Park City, Phase II

Gardiner has shipped her paintings all over the nation but Park City Designer and Art is focusing on local sales. Over the years she has learned how to talk to her customers to discover what they are really looking for. This is how her business on Upper Main Street became a success. She sold hundreds of pieces of art in five years. She also has a wealth of knowledge on the history of Park City since she originally moved to Park City in 1997. Her first job was answering the phone for Robert Redford at Sundance Resort.