MEET YOUR SILHOUETTIST
Shanlie Whittington, owner and operator of Silhouettes & Such, is a self-taught freehand silhouette artist, working in traditional 18th century style. When creating a portrait, her artistic eye and steady hand enable her to cut an intricate likeness of her sitter’s profile within just a few minutes, using only scissors and paper. No tracing, drawing ahead of time or digital alterations are involved in her work.
Shanlie has been creating silhouettes for clients for over a decade.
In addition to making her portraits available to customers worldwide through the Silhouettes & Such online shop, she travels extensively, cutting silhouettes in-person, during public and private events, and presenting educational programming on the history of silhouette portraiture.
Past partners include: The F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald Museum, Alabama Public Television, The Sam Houston Memorial Museum, The Montgomery Museum of Fine Art, The University Club of Alabama, The Mobile Arts Council, The Walter Anderson Museum of Art, The University of Southern Mississippi, The Alabama Historical Commission, Historic Brattonsville, The 1616 House, Ft. Loudon, and many more.
In 2022 Shanlie held her first solo exhibition of original work, titled Profiles: Great Ladies of the American South. The collection featured 20 original cut paper silhouettes of inspiring women, ranging in size, from 3 inches to 3 feet.
In 2023, she was commissioned by The Mobile Arts Council to paint a mural in Downtown Mobile, Alabama; the mural features silhouette portraits of notable women born in Alabama.
Shanlie participated in a group exhibition in 2024 called Paper Towns alongside fellow cut-paper artists Kathleen Trenchard and Janelle Washington, in Montgomery, AL.
Silhouettes & Such was featured in the 2025 Color Edition of Alabama Weddings.
Shanlie is a member of The Mobile Arts Council, ALHFAM and The Guild of American Papercutters. She has been awarded inclusion as a Master Craftsperson in the Directory of Traditional American Crafts, juried and published by Early American Life Magazine.
Born and raised in the Tampa Bay Area of Florida, Shanlie now lives in Southwest Alabama, with her husband and children. In addition to her work as an artist, she is a public library director and avid collector of antique silhouettes.