Biography
Shannon's art is informed and influenced by a unique combination of her AirForce upbringing, musical and educational training, and artistic interests. As a child, she lived all over the USA and in England and Germany. As an adult, she continued to explore, and lived and worked in Germany for several years. In the mid-90's, Shannon settled in New York City and has lived and worked there ever since.
Education
Having spent so much of her life living in, and learning about different cultures, Anthropology was a logical choice of major at her college, Amherst College. However, music was in the family and she had assiduously studied the oboe for many years by the time she arrived at Amherst. Thus, she double majored in music. She is a professional level oboist and played in orchestras and bands throughout the USA and Europe.
Business Life outside of the Arts
Shannon has had a lively professional life working in the software and medical fields. In 1999, she founded a software company with partners which launched a ground-breaking music-telephony product in Finland in 2003. She received a US patent for this technology but the company folded in 2004. She is currently working in the medical field which serves as an inspiration and counterpoint to her artwork.
Fine Arts Exposure, Participation, Practice
Throughout her life, in travel and in studies, she has been exposed to the art of many cultures and to some of the great works of art housed in the museums and galleries throughout Europe, the USA, and Latin America. She has also studied the artful material culture of Japan, and has some familiarity with SE Asian and Chinese art. Many individual artists including Basquiat, Joan Mitchell, Van Gogh, and Warhol have influenced her art, but the Japanese culture has been particularly influential through Butoh, the contemporary dance form. The Japanese-American artist Isamu Noguchi has also served as major cornerstone of artistic and spiritual influence. While Shannon has drawn, painted, and created collages throughout her life, even winning several awards in school, she did not began to work in earnest on her art until 1995.
Shannon's pieces are in private collections throughout the USA and Europe. She also has a working relationship with the Florence, Italy-based architect and interior design firm, Studio Lipparini.
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