Artist Mixes Realism With Abstraction In Vehicle Paintings

"Is that a photograph of a car/motorcycle, or is it a PAINTING?" That is the question that fine vehicle artist, Shannon "Shan" Fannin, loves hearing from the viewers of her paintings. It takes some visual investigation to know for sure. At first, her paintings seem photo-realistic. Upon further inspection, you begin to notice the distorted reflections of figures, cars, and landscape.

"I really enjoy a painting that combines realism with a bit of abstraction. I look at my work as 95% realism, and 5% of my personality and sense of humor thrown in. I can never pull off complete realism. I admire those that do, but I need a bit more freedom in my work. Besides, if I tried for total realism, I'd never finish a painting. I'd always second guess myself and never be satisfied until the work was perfect. It would never be perfect. Instead, I shoot for a balance that incorporates the rules of perspective, color, shape, form and then I break a few of them."

Shan lives in Austin, Texas and has been a professional artist since Fall 2014. She has taken a handful of community college art classes, but feels that the easel is her best teacher. She is also a guest writer for Artists on Art, CREATE! Magazine, and StudioVox and writes about art marketing, how a formal art education vs. life knowledge mold an artist, and much more.

You can find Shan's work currently in galleries in Texas and California. Her goal is to find representational galleries that support female realist vehicle painters. She is a member of: International Guild of Realism, National Oil & Acrylic Painters Society of America, and American Women Artists.

More info: shanfannin.com | Facebook | Instagram