Our monthly spotlight series shines on artist Shaun Smith for the month of April.
Shaun is a Retired U.S. Army Veteran and Fine Artist based in Northern Maine. Shaun served 10 years as a Combat Medic with a tour in Afghanistan. During that time he was awarded The Combat Medic Badge for providing care under fire and a Purple Heart for injuries sustained from a VBIED. Shaun found comfort in art therapy as a way to express his experiences, leading him to enroll into an art university. Shaun graduated from The Academy of Art University of San Francisco with a Bachelors in Fine art Painting in 2021. Shaun dedicates his time to painting landscapes, wildlife, and peaceful moments. Find him on Facebook.
Frenchman’s Bay
CBAW: “What is your choice of medium, and why?”
Shaun Smith: “Watercolor and Pastels: I love the versatility of both mediums and I often pair them together. I really like how pastels can add textures and punch in some heavy saturation of pigment to the softness that watercolor is known to provide.”
CBAW: “How has art making or creative writing impacted you as a person?”
SS: “It has allowed me to step back from all the chaos in the world, find peace and enjoy everything nature has to offer.”
Sumie
CBAW: “What do you hope someone gets from viewing/reading your work?”
SS: “The inspiration to go out into their environment and start seeing the beauty in moments that we can capture and meditate on.”
West Quoddy Monarch
Join Shaun every third Wednesday of the month for his CBAW Visual Art Workshop. Coming up this Wednesday, April 19th, we will be featuring the first of a two part class on Illustrative Watercolors*. Shaun will teach participants how to plan out what they want their illustrations to look like by developing thumbnail sketches, drawing out the image and then completing some color testing. Register for our recurring workshops to join. Click here.
Coming up: For the first three weeks in May, Shaun will be co-facilitating (along with CBAW co-founder Joe Merritt) our special collaborative art project, in honor of Memorial Day 2023. Learn more and register here.
*Click here to view further details About Illustrative Watercolor
Suggested Supplies:
- Watercolor paper
- Scrap watercolor paper
- Drawing paper
- Pencils and erasers
- Sketch pens
- Watercolor paint and brushes
- Cup of water and paper towels
Note: During the intermission between parts 1 & 2, participants are encouraged to refine their drawing in their own time.
*Part 2: We will bring everything together, make any needed adjustments, add ink (if not completed during intermission) and then proceed to paint! For further details and supplies for Part 2, visit June 21st on our Google Calendar.
Houston
Route 11
CBAW Marketing & Communications Manager
Rob Haney is an artist, writer, and graphic designer with a passion for making slick-looking and fun images that catch the eye and draw viewers in. Rob worked for over 10 years in retail banking and management in their previous life, before returning to school and earning an Associates of Arts with Honors from Rock Valley College in 2012. An early addict to Twitter, Rob enjoys liking and resharing cool stuff and interacting with people who hold similar interests on the internet. When not online, Rob writes and reads poetry, creates both physical and digital artwork, and watches British mystery shows.