We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Shannon Purcell a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Shannon, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

I’ve wanted to be an artist for as long as I can remember. I was given oil paints by my father at a very young age and it was like a light bulb got switched on. I felt like I had found the way I could communicate what was in my head with other people. From that point on I spent most of my free time painting and drawing my world and my ideas. I’m very grateful that I had people around me who recognized that the visual arts were my path and supported me.

Shannon, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I am a painter originally from Massachusetts, currently living and working in Austin, Texas. I focus mainly on portraiture and the figurative and my primary medium is oil paint. I studied painting at MassArt in Boston and through my apprenticeship with painter David Addison Small. I am currently working with projecting images onto my portrait subjects and painting the resulting juxtapositions. My work is about identity and the various constructs our culture projects onto it, as well as the
masks we use to conceal ourselves. Through obfuscating the figure with projected images
which create a kind of contextual camouflage, I seek to show the complexities of the subject’s
inner life and the forces that shaped them to find the fuller biography underneath and to explore
the narrative possibilities of portraiture. Using classical techniques in oil paint with a
contemporary approach and visual references to classic film, art history, literature and other
popular culture, my work explores the relationship between ourselves and the authentic and
seeks to convey the mysteries and truth through the noise.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being an artist is being able to communicate my ideas and feelings to others in a very meaningful and personal way. The visual is how I communicate best with the world and to see someone engaging with my vision is an amazing experience. I love it when someone connects with a piece so strongly that they want to bring it into their home and experience through their lens. It is also very rewarding connecting with a model as I paint them and when they see themselves through my eyes. I find the human face infinitely interesting and beautiful and try to share my way of seeing it with the world.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

My goal when creating is to communicate my ideas as true to my vision as possible. I rely on my instinct and intuition as much as I can during the creative process and my goal is to trust and hone this. I want others to see the beauty and mystery that I see in my visions of the world and let themselves be swept away by it for a while.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.shannonpurcellart.com
• Instagram: shannonpurcellart