Artist Statement
My work is about finding enchantment in the natural world, and increasingly about recognizing personhood in nonhuman entities. The imagery in my paintings comes from places near the edge of my neighborhood between suburb and marsh/forest. The process of painting allows for contemplation of these spaces, plants, and trees: the relationships within plant and animal communities, the shapes and patterns of growth and decay, and the precarious balance held in these edges. Through this practice I am cultivating connections to my home and those living in my immediate surroundings. My intention is for these paintings to invite the viewer into a sense of entanglement and belonging with the greater than human world.
Bio
Shannon Estlund is an artist and educator living in Savannah, GA with her husband and two daughters. She earned a Master’s degree in Visual Studies from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design and a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Painting from the University of Florida. Shannon has received several grants for her work including three Minnesota State Arts Board Artist Initiative grants and two Community Foundation (of Jacksonville, FL) Art Ventures grants. She has exhibited her work nationally and internationally at museums and galleries including the Crisp Ellert Art Museum (FL), the Elmhurst Art Museum (IL), Soo Visual Art Center (MN), the Cummer Museum of Art and Gardens (FL), and at the National Galleries of Scotland. Her work has been featured in New American Paintings and Studio Visit magazines.
Photo credit: Rik Sferra
