Shanlie Wolter’s love of silhouettes began in early childhood, and she has been collecting antique silhouettes and cut-paper art since her teens. A self-taught silhouette artist, she began making her own shadow portraits in ink in 2010 before transitioning into the traditional cut-paper method.

She now works as a freehand silhouette artist in the traditional 18th-Century style. When creating a portrait her artistic eye and steady hand enable her to cut an intricate likeness of a sitter’s profile within just a few minutes. She travels throughout the Southeast, cutting portraits at re-enactments, educational events, modern retail shops, fine art festivals, and public and private events. She especially enjoys demonstrating her craft and sharing a brief history of early American portraiture with children on school field trips.

Wolter also sells her work through Silhouettes & Such, an online shop where customers can purchase gift certificates and order her hand-cut silhouettes by submitting a photograph.

She has a professional background in art education and human services. She lives on a small homestead in the woods of rural Alabama with her husband, two daughters, and a menagerie of pets and farm animals.

Shanlie M. Wolter has been selected for the following Directories: