Our Leadership

There is a butterfly painting depicting Nobel Prize winner Roger Sperry’s theory of split-brain lateralization hanging in the halls of the Psychology Department at the University of North Carolina’s Wilmington campus. It should come as no surprise that the artist who created this work would know something about how different parts of the brain have different capabilities. The artist, Shanthi Thiruppathi, who is also Managing Partner of Wall Decor Galore, became a published author at age 12 and since then has gone on to publish nine additional children’s books. She also speaks three languages, travels extensively, plays piano, guitar and ukulele and has a degree in accounting.

 

As an artist, Shanthi won her first juried art competition with that butterfly depiction of Sperry’s split-brain lateralization research. She does all of her own illustrations for her series of children’s books inspired by her cats. One series is about the adventures of brother sea cats, Tiggy and Tobias and the other series, The Doll Cat, is about a rescue cat named Chloe. Shanthi’s paintings are distinctly coastal and often focus on sea turtles, mermaids and other creatures of the sea. Her first published writing was a poem she wrote on the night of 9/11 when she was 12 years old following the tragic bombing of New York city’s Twin Towers.

 

Shanthi’s diverse upbringing helps identify her lifestyle filled with traveling and learning new cultures. Having a Norwegian mother and an Indian father, has given her a broad outlook on life and a keen ability to self reflect through her creations.

 

Shanthi worked with Josh McClure, a well known fine art printer and the son of North Carolina artist, Herbert McClure, for a number of years before leaving to help found Wall Decor Galore. Shanthi brings the exacting standards of an artist to the custom reproduction work of Wall Decor Galore. She understands that quality artwork depends on the underpinnings of a high quality reproduction techniques and material, starting with the proper canvas or paper substrate extending to high quality inks to accurately and vividly portray the artist’s colors and textures and proper mounting to ensure that the work stands up to the test of time.

 

Equally important, Shanthi understands how important visual inspiration is to our quality of life. She understands how pictures, paintings and drawings can tell a story and how art can be used to infuse a space – whether it be a living room, bathroom, office or hallway – with meaning. Her hope is that by providing access to more than 300 million works of art she can help everyone define the meaning of the important spaces they occupy.