Shirley Veater is a well-known, versatile English artist living in Brighton, UK. Shirley, the daughter of a UK Methodist minister, grew up in a home where her faith in Christ was firmly formed. Having trained as a teacher at Southlands Methodist College in Wimbledon, Shirley was awarded a B. Ed degree. Shirley’s husband, Selwyn Veater, is a distinguished poet and author. Shirley and Selwyn recently collaborated with Martha Toney on Sacred Presence, a devotional book on the Holy Spirit. Shirley displayed 32 fabulous illustrated paintings and her unique writing skills in this book. Sacred Presence can be found on Amazon Books in the USA and the UK. 
Illustrating books only touches briefly on Shirley’s manifold gifts. Shirley is a prolific artist who designed 16 canvases for the Salvation Army in Brighton. She created a vast stained-glass window for Brighton’s new Dorset Garden Methodist Church. Other works of hers hang in Surrey, Sussex, Kent, and Glasgow, just to name a few. Dorset Gardens has a massive ceiling-to-floor window onto the world. Shirley frequently dresses this window with her paintings, color drapes, and objects to fit liturgical seasons. With her daughter Sue, she led an art club. She organized a large art exhibition at the Church yearly in May with the famous Brighton Art Festival. At Brighton University, Shirley furthered her love for art by studying life drawing, composition, and color theory. One sees her enormous training in all her countless works.
The love of gardening, cooking, and fellowship with long-established friends keeps Shirley busy year-long. However, what is truly inspiring is her celebrated designs of greeting cards. These delightful cards are still part of her daily responsibilities. They were sold in significantly large stores in London, including the Victoria and the Albert Museum shop. Although she still designs for local shops, Shirley’s first love has always been telling people about her passion for Jesus. It is through her art, preaching, teaching, and healing ministries that Shirley has followed her unique spiritual path. Many of Shirley’s religious canvases hang in Brighton. The life of Jesus is displayed throughout her art, from Jesus’ miracles and parables to huge exhibitions of the life of Christ in numerous settings. 
It is through her book illustrations that Shirley met The Rev. Dr. Martha Toney. These two Jesus followers became firm friends. Their shared love for Jesus has fashioned a deep respect for each other. One of her latest projects led Shirley to draw coloring books for adults. The Life of Jesus coloring book is an extraordinary example of her inexhaustible creations. This has been so successful that Shirley is now producing a follow-up book called “Stories Jesus Knew.” These new drawings call on the Old Testament writings, which Jesus would have fully known. Shirley loves to use a ‘slightly abstract’ style in her paintings that creates astonishing mystery. The greatest joy for Shirley is when people ask her questions about the meaning found in her art. “I think of my paintings as silent conversations. When people stand before them, it is my most profound delight if my work helps others to never feel alone. I want people to know that they are loved by God, and I want to lead them to learn the love of God through my art.” The main goal of Shirley’s art and life is to assist people in knowing Jesus; through knowing Jesus, they, too,  can have the opportunity to inherit eternal life.