About Shannon Thomas

Shannon Thomas was raised in Boise, Idaho, and currently resides in Shepherdstown, West Virginia. She has studied art at Metropolitan State University in Minnesota, the Kansas City Art Institute, the Art League in Alexandria, VA, and Shepherd University, Shepherdstown. She is a veteran of the U.S. Air Force and Air National Guard, retired after serving more than 30 years. After a battle with breast cancer, she retired from the military in 2017 to pursue her lifelong dream of being an artist. She now balances her time between painting, preserving an historic property, and working as a part time event planner. She enjoys painting portraits and landscapes, often inspired by travels and the desire to convey the feeling of a special moment or place. Her primary mediums are acrylic painting and soft pastels.

Artist Statement

My current work is a series of architectural and landscape paintings of the Thomas Shepherd Grist Mill in Shepherdstown, West Virginia. Built circa 1738, it is older than our country. Nothing is level, straight or square; its stonework is cracked and fallen in places; some of the wood aged and rotting; and vines and weeds are endlessly fighting to take over. Yet its bones are strong and its energy light, and it will continue to stand long after we are gone. I feel kinship to it. I consider it a blessing to be a steward of this space, and my mission to share its story through my art. I’m only here for a brief moment in its long life. So I honor tradition while adding a contemporary touch with bold colors and perspective.

There is beauty in this dilapidation. I spend a lot of contemplative time walking around the property. I put on my hiking boots and trudge down the steep slope along the wheel, sometimes grasping a gnarly root or branch for support, reminding myself to keep my own aging body strong. I observe it from different perspectives, trying to see it differently than perhaps it was in the past. I study the surfaces and the way the light falls at different times and in different seasons. I look for ways the natural environment interacts with the manmade forms. Sometimes the spokes of the waterwheel cast curious shadows. Sometimes the fallen stones assemble themselves in interesting ways. Sometimes I discover a tiny sapling from neighboring tree that has sprung forth from the wheel’s axel—and as much as I’m delighted by it’s persistence, I know it will have to be re-homed. But first, I’ll capture the moment.