SHANNON CARROLL
SINGING BOWLS, Ink and Watercolor on paper, 4" x 6", completed 2025
Shannon is an artist living and creating in the American Midwest. She often draws inspiration from myths, fables and folk tales that convey wisdom or inspire ethical principles, and is particularly drawn to those that feature animals with human traits.
Working in an illustrative style, Shannon interprets these symbols in a new cultural context, weaving stories that are universal with truths encompassing any culture or time.
Placing those symbols in a new or different context, she gathers images, layering and manipulating them to compose her paintings. Her imagery is rife with symbols of the sacred, meaningful, positive, and spiritual aspects of life.
“I choose inspiration and significance as sources for my art, expressing myself in what I hope is an appealing and transformative way. For me, art is self-reflection. Creating or viewing art helps us explore identity and values through symbols and images. And it can be transformative, challenging our assumptions and inspiring personal change.
I prefer to focus on the positive aspects: Buddhist principles such as compassion, honesty, integrity, mindfulness and meditation.”
EDUCATION
Shannon attended College of DuPage, receiving an Associate’s degree and a solid foundation in art fundamentals such as life drawing and color theory. She then earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Illinois Wesleyan University, focusing on painting, art history, theory and criticism. While completing significant coursework towards a Masters in Fine Art at Northern Illinois University, she strengthened her composition and experimented with abstraction.
Over time, she has come to value her earlier experiences as beneficial to a well-balanced relationship with her art and creative path, and has happily spent the last 20 years trying to unlearn some of her higher education.