Museum Mind: Shannon Curry

Artistic minds make the world beautiful. They have the ability to create a visual story from nothing but their imagination and materials. Aside from the God given talent to construct beautiful works from the mind, these individuals allow the world to inspire them. Shannon Curry knows what it means to not only be an artist, but also be creative. She understands the power behind being able to mold something from your mind. Learn about her and love her work, her pieces are meant to startle and stir up emotions that can’t necessarily be articulated.

HH: Do you have any creative routines or rituals?
SC: I actually don't have any creative routines or rituals. I do a lot of large paintings. I get my ideas out of nowhere and I immediately sketch them on paper. When I see a blank canvas, (unless I feel inspired to come up with something unique and new for the canvas) I approach it like a project. I pull from an image that I already sketched and enlarge it onto the painting.

HH: What is your artistic medium of choice?
SC: I try not to get too committed to one medium because I think that would limit my versatility as an artist. However, my current favorite is acrylic paint. I love how quickly it dries and how bold the colors are. I have recently been getting into small watercolor paintings. Watercolor is amazing because the water allows you to have a great deal of control over where the color travels.

HH: Whose work do you feel you relate to most at this point in your career?
SC: At this point in my career I feel like my work is influenced by way too many artists that inspired me during my college years. I enjoy the work of Andy Warhol, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Pablo Picasso, Renee Cox, Archibald Motley, (I could go on forever, I feel myself rambling). The point is, my art cannot help but be a mirror of what I know and appreciate. I appreciate the artists who helped birth each new art movement. I like the courage that they had to abandon that which people were used to seeing. I try to do this with my art regardless of content, color choice, or canvas size. I love art that startles and draws the viewer in and stirs up something that can't necessarily be articulated. I try to make art that does this.

HH: What does being creative mean to you?
SC: Being creative means having a power that is bigger than you that no one can ever take away. Having a creative mind means having no limits. If my mind can think it up then my hands can create it, and that is POWER in the truest sense. Creativity is power. I read a quote by Albert Einstein recently and he mentioned something about how all of his ideas came from thinking creatively and none of them came from going by the book. I respect the art that came before me, but I emphatically trust my own creative mind.

HH: Do you have a favorite piece you have created; why?
SC: I don’t think I have a favorite piece!! I fall in love with something different in every piece. It’s sad. I also don’t have a favorite color. I feel each of them has their own unique purpose. I know that makes me crazy!

HH: What is the best advice you have ever received?
SC: The best advice I ever received was "Don't stop making art." This came from my painting professor and thesis advisor in college. When you call yourself a visual artist, it does not mean anything unless you spend a certain amount of time doing visual art. Making art is not about the audience, or becoming famous for it. It is about the artist. The more art that I make the better I become at what I do and the more I evolve. I get bogged down with other things which can be difficult. I am a teacher who is also in an Art Education masters program. Sometimes I have to make myself sit down and paint whenever I get the time. The only thing that matters if you are an artist is your art. That it’s important to never stop making it.

HH: Where can we follow you and your work?
SC: For now you can follow my work at shannonelyseart.com . The site is developing and it should be completed soon. You can also follow my art twitter @ShannonElyseArt. I will be developing an art instagram page for you to follow soon as well, with the same name @ShannonElyseArt!