Shan Fannin of Austin, Texas, was the latest artist in Richard C. Kessler’s “Next Originals” series to exhibit at the Grand Bohemian Gallery in St. Augustine.
Fannin is a photorealist painter specializing in depictions of cars, trucks, motorcycles, airplanes and boats. She captures shiny chrome and rustic metals with equal skill. Even so, she puts her own ideas into the image and says her paintings are 90% realistic and 10% abstract.
Her exhibit opened at the gallery on March 1, and she met with the public during First Friday Art Walk festivities.
Fannin works in acrylics from photos she has taken, usually at a car show where some of the most interesting subjects will be on display. She never paints in black and surprises her viewers by painting not the colors they believe something to be, but rather the colors she actually sees.
She launched her career in 2015 and completes between 25 and 30 pieces a year.
Nine artists were selected for the “Next Originals” series out of 1,800 artists to apply. As one of the winners, Fannin saw her work exhibited in New York City’s Times Square and also at several Grand Bohemian galleries.
To learn more about her, go to shanfannin.com.
