Originally from Southeastern New Mexico, Shirley has been a resident of Kailua, Oʻahu, since 1963. She attended Abilene Christian College and the University of New Mexico studying watercolor, printmaking and design with local and mainland instructors.Shirley has received awards for watercolors, etchings and serigraphs and has been accepted in numerous juried exhibitions and her work has been in national and international exhibits. She has taught at the Honolulu Academy of Arts and the Contemporary Museum and for the Windward Arts Council and in the Artists in the Schools Program for the Department of Education. She has also served as President of Honolulu Printmakers and the Honolulu Printmaking Workshop and has served on the boards of other arts organizations. Her work is in several galleries and in many private and corporate collections and its all related to special places in Hawaiʻi. Etchings: my etchings are done on metal plates mostly copper and occasionally on zinc. Etchings are done by applying a ground to the cleaned and polished plate surface. The metal is exposed by drawing through the acid resistant ground with an etching needle or other tools. The plate is then placed in an acid "bath" for varying periods of time, depending on the depth of the lines the artist desires. I use a mixture of dissolved potassium chlorate crystals and sulfuric acid on copper and diluted nitric acid on zink.Aside from line work, there are various other methods used to achieve texture and tone, but all require something on the plate that is acid resistant. I sometimes also make marks directly on the metal. This is called "dry point" as they do not require use of acid. After I am happy with the image, which may mean recoating the plate and putting it back in acid several times. I ink the plate and wipe the surface clean, leaving ink in the lines or other marks in the plate. The image is then printed on dampened rag paper on an etching press. The press is a steel bed with two steel rollers that have adjustable pressure. Felt blankets are put on top of the plate and paper to provide a cushion so the paper will be pressed down into all the marks on the plate. Each print is individually inked, wiped and printed. They are individually numbered and after the edition is completed, the plate is destroyed.