Shannon Lawlor : The Horse Makes Her Complete - Horses in Art Magazine

Shannon Lawlor : The Horse Makes Her Complete

by Sarah H. Crampton

Color of the Sun – Acrylic on masonite, 16 x 12, by Shannon Lawlor. "I saw this Quarter horse stallion at the National Reining Horse Association Sale in Oklahoma City. His name is Hollywood Nose It. He was peacefully waiting his turn to go into the sale arena, while the light coming through a window very high up caught him for a fleeting moment. He was too perfect not to paint, the great contrast of color, his own quality of characteristics and peacefulness he exuded that day."
Shannon Lawlor's lifelong association with horses is the source for the stories she tells with her paintings. The stories are about horses she has come into contact with and how she saw them in infinite moments of those experiences. Shannon takes her own reference photos, and she only paints what she has seen and experienced personally. It gives her artwork integrity and the details lend to its authenticity.

Shannon comments, "I absolutely know my subject matter, the horse, inside and out. I know how they think, I know how they feel. I know when they don't feel right when you are interacting with them, and I know when they are so "right on" it just absolutely makes your day. I know when they know and I know when they don't know. I've seen them come into this world and I've seen them go out, and everything in between. They absolutely have made my life full and complete, and I am so grateful for every experience and interaction I have had with them, whether on their backs or sitting at my easel."

Although she has known horses all her life, Shannon didn't start painting until 1993 when she began taking instruction in oil painting. Years later, she continued her art education with wildlife artist, David Kitler, and her media now includes primarily acrylic and graphite.

This year her graphite Gracia won Best of Show Drawing at both the Draft Horse Classic in Grass Valley, California, and at the St Paul Wild West Art Show in St Paul, Oregon. Shannon Lawlor is represented by galleries in the United States and Canada. She will be exhibiting the first part of December 2006 at the Sands Expo & Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. View her artwork at www.shannonlawlor.com.

Shannon Lawlor and her cat Mouse

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