Welcome to Diane Shannon Art

 I am a painter living in San Francisco, with lifelong ties to the Bay Area stretching from Belmont to Berkeley. Grounded in the tradition of classical figurative art, my style has grown to emphasize simplified forms, allowing composition and emotion to lead the viewer’s experience.

 My paintings are a reflection of a lifelong study of form and emotion. I welcome you to look deeper into my collections and experience the journey for yourself. 

 The etching entitled “Close cover” is an early work of mine that established a dynamic composition that I return to frequently. The intersection of diagonal and horizontal lines create an area of interest to draw the viewer’s eye. To further emphasize the focal point, I use high contrast values to describe large and small shapes. This establishes an area to place the subject. In this case, the subject is the matchstick and matchbook cover. I find this method works not only in abstract painting, but in still life and landscape compositions. 

The painting ”Land and Water” returns to the subject of water in an abstract composition. I use color and texture to describe a landscape that is reduced to the basic elements. The details from memory are dissolved into the horizon that separates water from sky and the reflections act to unite them.