Today we’d like to introduce you to Shannon Celia.
Shannon, we’d love to hear your story and how you got to where you are today both personally and as an artist.
I was raised in New England (CT & MA & NY) with two siblings by a single hard-working mother who always encouraged us to trust in God’s plan, get educated and work hard toward our dreams. I was a creative, musical child who pursued writing and music until I found art in college while attending Pepperdine University in Malibu, CA. While living in Thousand Oaks, I also became a children’s book author (ABC’s of the Sea) and then moved to Hanover, NH, for four years with my husband and daughter. There I pursued art full-time, and after moving back to Thousand Oaks, CA, I’ve had many more solo shows, participated in local and national juried shows, won multiple awards for my oil paintings, taught and volunteered with several art organizations over the last ten years.
In the last few years, I’ve done two public art projects, launched an art residency program at the Channel Islands Maritime Museum, founded the Pepperdine Alumni Art Showcase and helped start an art walk in Oxnard Shores, CA. Presently I am working in my home studio on my first large solo museum show entitled “Santa Paula Sojourn” opening May 2020 at the Santa Paula Art Museum in Santa Paula, CA. I have an 18 piece solo show entitled “Viva Ventura County” hanging at the Five07 Coffee Bar & Eatery in Thousand Oaks, CA through mid-June, two pieces hanging in the SIMPLY THE BEST group show at the Thousand Oaks Civic Center and I’m volunteering as a VP and Show chair for the Westlake Village Art Guild. I feel blessed to have art in my daily life!
We’d love to hear more about your art. What do you do and why and what do you hope others will take away from your work?
I’ve always been compelled to create and grew up playing the guitar, writing music, and making things. But in college, I had an epiphany realizing how much more passionate I was creating in quiet solitude. I began painting in oil and now paint what I call the gritty with the pretty. While living by the beach in Oxnard, CA for two years and painting a series called “Odyssey Through Oxnard,” I was struck by the large landmarks we live with daily that some consider eyesores, such as power plants and oil platforms. When the light hits anything just right, it can look more beautiful, and I began painting more urban, gritty subjects such as oil rigs. Folks respond to my paintings that celebrate caretaking one’s community and getting more involved with one’s neighbors where we live and work. I’ve also always admired historic architecture and like to highlight details such as cupolas or old doors in my paintings that someone passing by quickly might miss.
Artists face many challenges, but what do you feel is the most pressing among them?
It’s often challenging switching hats from the creative side to the business side and artists that have good people around them to help them sell and market their work seem to do better. I really prefer to focus on painting but I’m making even more time for the business side of things and it’s helping me move forward.
Do you have any events or exhibitions coming up? Where would one go to see more of your work? How can people support you and your artwork?
My work is for sale on my website www.shannoncelia.com and can be seen on my Instagram and Facebook feeds. I have work in two group shows currently in Thousand Oaks, CA at the Fred Kavli Civic Center and at the Santa Paula Art Museum as well as a solo show hanging at the Five07 Coffee Bar & Eatery entitled “Viva Ventura County.”
Contact Info:
- Website: www.shannoncelia.com
- Phone: 8059905059
- Email: shannoncelia@me.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shannoncelia/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shannonceliafineart/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/stccelia
- Other: www.shannonceliafineart.com
Image Credit:
Shannon Celia
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