Shayla Scales is based in North Carolina. Her art stems from her experiences growing up in the South. As well as the complexity of Self. She strives to show the power of black women without showing the “struggle.” Shayla’s paintings are potent with symbolism. She uses the Western ideations and transforms them into her southern understanding.
“I saw white portraits and figures with hints of blue, green, pinks, but portraits and figures of black people always seem to have a limited palette. Consisting of black, brown, and white. To combat this I use yellow, purple, pink, red, green, and blue in my paintings. The deep parts of my figures are actually purple. By using all these colors, I can get into the conversation of how immeasurable blackness is.”
University of Greensboro, North Carolina
- Bachelor of Arts, Arts Administration
- Bachelor’s in Fine Arts, Concentration in Painting – Studied Abroad Spring 2025 Florence Itlay
Work and Internship Experience
- Tab Arts Center – Camp Program Coordinator
- CVPA ambassador for the School of Visual Arts
- Tab Arts Center – Development Intern
- UNCG Gatewood Gallery – Installations Intern
- Greenhill – Curatorial Intern
- Greensboro Project Space – Operations Intern
Volunteer Experience
- NC Folk Festival
- Rugby youth clinic
- Lorenzo de’ Medici Gallery – Florence, Italy
- Greenhill Center for NC Art
- The Den
- Joy Soup Kitchen
- Tiny House Development Community Center
Shayla Scales 