Shimmering Collages and Installations by Sara Shakeel Bring Bedazzled Glamour to Everyday Scenes

Chicago-based artist Sara Shakeel used to have a career as a dentist. But she’s traded in pearly whites for a shiny new medium: crystals. Shakeel incorporates a combination of collage and original photography in her glittering work, and focuses on food, landscapes, and female figures as her primary subjects. Shimmering crystals stand in as skyscraper windows, the chocolate in an ice cream twist, and snake scales. “The Great Supper,” her recent solo show at NOW Gallery in London, afforded Shakeel the opportunity to work in three dimensions. A dining table and chairs laden with plates, dishes, food, and candlesticks were all completed covered in crystals.

The self-taught artist has no formal training, and shared in an interview with Forbes that she has always been creative, but was discouraged from pursuing art school in favor of a more pragmatic career. Despite her meandering route—she tells Forbes she loved being a dentist—Shakeel has found her bedazzled own path to success. You can see more of Shakeel’s work on Instagram, where she shares new images with nearly 1 million followers. (via Hi-Fructose)