Shannon Mack: Meet the Artist
Meet Shannon Mack, an artist creating acrylic and mixed media abstract paintings. Shannon has worked with Lions and Rabbits on a mural located at The Arts Marketplace in Studio Park as well as After Dark. We are jazzed to interview Shannon and invite you to explore more of her work.
Q: How did you get involved with Lions and Rabbits?
A: I began hosting figure drawing workshops back in the early days about five years ago.
Q: What themes/ideas are highlighted in your work? Intentions?
A: Spontaneous movement and the capturing of fleeting emotions - of the moment.
Q: Run us through your creative process - How do you start, flow and finish?
A: Every piece begins with a general feeling, usually based off a color pallet and inspiration images. From here, layers upon layers of color, texture and pattern are applied, and the general direction has all but changed. The piece moves with the moment and ends at a destination completely unknown from the beginning.
Q: What obstacles/struggles have you encountered throughout your career as an artist? Or challenges you face through your creative process
A: The largest obstacle was deciding to do it. Making the leap is terrifying but so important. It’s a commitment to myself as much as it is to having faith in the inherent groundlessness of the process. I believe one of the greatest challenges is remaining true to the integrity of the life of a creator. Making art is not just the act of creating work on a canvas, it lives in everything I do. It’s important for me to create from a place of truth without expectation or an end goal, as I feel this takes away from the full process. Protecting this lifestyle and intention from the general distractions and status quo of what success means remains one of the most difficult challenges that I face.
Q: Can you share more about how your art career started?
A: After school, I worked as a concept artist at video production company, an art instructor, a textile designer, and have had many other roles. All of these have contributed to my growth as an artists in profound ways, but I also knew that I needed to explore deeper. After losing my job during the pandemic was my green light.
Q: Who/what are your biggest inspirations that play a key role in the work you produce?
A: Where do I begin...my parents are both artists, so it would be silly to not first mention them. In school, I learned so much from my figure drawing and Alla Prima instructor, Damien Goidich. That was the beginning of exploring an expressionist approach to art. Beyond this, I studied at the Illustration Academy in Kansas City, MO where I drew with George Pratt and Mark English. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that this experience changed my life and the way that I paint and draw.
Q: Is there anything you wish you could change about your work?
A: Doesn’t every artist wish they could change something about their work? I think we would stop making art if there was nothing we wished to change. It is an endless exploration, but my intention is to thoroughly enjoy the pursuit.
Q: What mistakes have you made? What did you learn from them? What are you trying to get better at?
A: My only mistake is not trusting my intuition sooner. I have learned that you can learn the techniques and craftsmanship from so many different teachers, but only I can grant my self permission to trust my instincts when creating. I am only a vessel and the art can move through me. The thing I seek to get better at is surrendering whole heartlessly to what needs to come out.
Q: Do you feel supported by your community as an artist? In what ways could you feel more supported?
A: Not very supported, but you are doing it right now ;) and continue to send opportunities for art calls!
Q: Describe a moment when you felt most proud of yourself
A: Oooo, probably when I stopped putting so much pressure on myself to make “perfect” sellable art. I threw out these shackles and freed my child self to be able to create without expectation, which is when I really started having fun. I will say, I felt pretty proud of myself for getting into my first gallery recently, with a piece that was totally spontaneously created.
Q: What's most important to you about what you create, and how it impacts others?
A: That it is pushing me to a place where I am going deeper within myself and connecting to my spirit in a way that feels transcendent.
Q: What's next? What are you currently focusing on or looking forward to?
A: I’m hoping to be a part of a community art installation soon involving cyanotypes! Aside from this, I will be creating very large abstract paintings this year and would like to get my whole body involved in the process. I will also be creating quilted paintings involving pattern that I can’t wait to dig into.
Q: What does being an artist mean to you? What is the function of artists in society?
A: I will try to answer this the same way I did when I was five, but maybe with a little more insight. Being an artist means paying attention, and if you’re really paying attention, you’ll notice there’s something inside of you that must come out. All of these life experiences need to be metabolized and expressed in ways unknown to us until we allow them. When life force comes out of us through paint, dance, writing, singing, we feel a sense of wholeness and connectedness to the greater fabric of existence. Artists should make it their mission to get incredibly clear with themselves and create a clear channel to let their own being come forth. The artist should always be aware of the time they are living in as well as the past and continue to challenge the status quo. What’s the point otherwise?
Q: And of course, if you could chose any vehicle to travel, real or imaginary what would it be?
A: Probably a pretty bicycle
Follow more of Shannon’s work on www.shannonmack.com/ and Instagram instagram.com/shannon__mack
Thank you for tuning into todays Meet the Artist, be sure to checkout more artist stories every week on our blog!
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