Talk to most seasoned artists and you’ll often hear that their work started to flow when they finally embraced creating from their soul rather than trying to appeal to the general population.

For Shannon Leigh, that certainly was the case. Though she had been painting for decades and enjoyed it, she simply didn’t feel a deep connection to the subject matter she was often commissioned to paint. It wasn’t until she went on a soul journey and reconnected with her Western roots that she found her authentic style.

“When it came to the point where I decided I was no longer going to be painting solely by commission, I sat down in my studio––it was a week-long lockin––and just stared at the canvases,” she said. “I decided to paint what I was going to paint with no rules and no boundaries.”

That’s when her first series emerged––depictions of the West told in a modern, no-holds-barred style that blended history with a touch of pop art. Shannon has continued to build upon that style, exploring how texture, linear forms and movement can be used to convey stories of the Southwest in powerful ways––whether it’s a cowboy wrangling a horse, a snapshot of spur or a Cadillac with bullhorns mounted on the grill.

“I think it’s up to all professional artists to develop a style that’s uniquely theirs,” Shannon said. “If you want to stand out and have a voice, find what’s in your heart, and follow that.”

In this interview, Shannon shares how she uncovered her voice, how she keeps herself challenged and some of the new techniques she’s exploring.

Q&A with Shannon:

How did you develop your unique style?

I’ve been painting for a very long time. I don’t even want to tell you the number of decades. I’ve painted to please all of my life, and when I got to the point where I was able to just create from my imagination, create my favorite subject matter in the way that I saw it and felt it, this [series of work] was the result. I’m taking traditional things that we know––that we’ve seen painted in traditional ways––outside of that box, and painting them in a new way that relates to where we’re living now, in this century.

I think it’s up to all professional artists to develop a style that’s uniquely theirs. If you want to stand out, have a voice, find what’s in your heart and follow that. I come from a background of graphic design and had an aptitude for architecture. The linear form was just naturally something that I was drawn to in my work, and my paintings fractured like that.

How has your creative journey evolved?

My work has changed even more into the Southwest genre. I’ve gotten back to my roots, my horses and the tribal lands––I’ve gotten back to all the things that I grew up with and was surrounded by, like the rodeos. Now, I get to incorporate everything and I get to be there and be a part of it again. So, not only in the studio, but outside the studio. I’m getting to bring all of that together in this voice and canvas.

There’s more action in my work that you’re going to see. I still have my stoicism, but I’m really appreciating the movement in these roping pieces. And I’m really loving the energy of these pieces.

What do you love most about the creative process?

The element of surprise. That I get the idea to create it, then there’s doubt and there’s excitement, and there’s ‘Should I?’, and ‘Where do I take it?’. It’s this whole process. Every painting is like solving a puzzle and you have to get to the end. And the end is the signature.

After that, it’s ‘Why did I paint it?’. And when you connect with that spirit that relates to what you were able to create, that’s the surprise. That’s the magic. I think that’s my favorite part of it all. And when what I created lands perfectly in somebody’s heart and brings them joy, that’s the most rewarding thing.

How do you keep yourself challenged?

I’m experimenting with texture as opposed to my color blocking. I want to see how it’s received. But it’s also been fun to experiment. I think that it’s important to stretch––to go in other places and see how that will mature.

What keeps you coming back to the Celebration of Fine Art?

The people. The collectors who want to see the new work. The team that’s here. The family that’s built underneath this tent. It’s the community, it’s the build. I love it here. And I’m honored to be a part of this group.