Shannon Hart is a 5th generation Californian with an active studio in Oakland. Her vibrant & expressive art is designed to challenge the imagination while still connecting to the viewer with universal themes of struggle & beauty. Inspired by the shapes and interplay of life’s dazzling colors & patterns, she creates interpretive portraits of people & places through a blend of realism and abstraction.

My art is governed by my imagination & sense of place with an individualistic bohemian sensibility

At a young age Shannon was introduced to objective drawing with graphite & ink where she developed a keen eye. After a debilitating diagnosis that limited physical activity, she began painting with oils at the urging of her maternal grandmother, also an oil paints artist. Shannon continued to evolve as an artist experimenting with oils, acrylics, collage, mixed materials, watercolor & digital photography.

Mixed media allows the most freedom to incorporate different materials like acrylic paint, glass, paper, fabric, metal objects & photographs where I can express complex ideas & colorful experiences with a multi-dimensional effect.

Born in Central California, raised & educated in Southern California Shannon now considers the Bay Area her permanent home since 1995. She has lived in Washington, DC, London, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Cape Town, South Africa & now on Lake Merritt in Oakland.

Shannon’s passionate pursuit of the intersection of art, culture & curiosity has taken her around the world. From Thailand to Tuscany, Kathmandu to Cuba, Ireland to India, Moscow to Marrakech, Budapest to Barcelona, Kyoto to Krakow, her global travel experiences are incorporated into her mixed media & digital photography pieces. She continues to explore different cultures, countries & landscapes for artistic inspiration.

I identify deeply as a Californian yet consider myself a citizen of the world. Places with rich multi-cultural environments feature in all my work. No matter where I travel or live, I happily return to my roots in California.