Artist of the day: Artist of the Day, June 28, 2024: Shannon Vaught, an American emerging artist, painter (#2062)

Friday, June 28, 2024

Artist of the Day, June 28, 2024: Shannon Vaught, an American emerging artist, painter (#2062)

An interview with Shannon Vaught:

Shannon, When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?
I’m not sure there was an exact “light bulb” moment, so to speak. In high school I used to draw all the time, and from it received a lot of odd jobs; tattoo designs, portraits of pets and people, murals, etc. Eventually I went to college to pursue an art degree. I had been painting for a few years at this time and painted a picture of my puppy, just for fun. I got a lot of inquiries for pet portraits from it. That’s what really started my career as a painter. After a couple years I was able to quit my barista job that I had been balancing with school and commissioned work – and just do commissions full time. That’s when I realized I really could be a full time painter, it was liberating.

Can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
My name is Shannon Vaught and I am an artist based out of Oceanside, California. I graduated from the Laguna College of Art and Design in 2019, where I learned how to paint in the classical style of the old masters. We often drew and painted models from life. That’s where I really fell in love with portrait painting, which is primarily what I practice now. Though my style has evolved a bit since then to be more colorful and impressionistic, I still retain the love for realism learned there. I mostly paint alla prima – which means all at once, in one sitting. I really love the direct nature and freshness achieved in such a quick portrait. Right now, I am excited to explore some more narrative, larger portrait and figurative work.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
It sounds cheesy to say, but all of it. Painting is still, after all these years, what makes me excited about life. I can’t wait to get out of bed most mornings and get in front of my easel. A mentor used to tell me that mastering something like painting would take two lifetimes. It really never stops being a challenge, and that’s what I like so much about it. Painting has taught me so much about life, and I’ve really gotten to know myself through it.

© 2024. All content on this blog is protected by international copyright laws All images are copyrighted © by Shannon Vaught or assignee. Apart from fair dealing for the purpose of private study, research, criticism or review as permitted under the Copyright Act, the use of any image from this site is prohibited unless prior written permission is obtained. All images used for illustrative purposes only