SHANNON CRAWFORD

All great art relies upon a balance between darkness and light. It’s that balance that drives independent artist Shannon Crawford. An alchemist of color and styles, his oil paintings are vivid depictions of abstract imagery. The beauty of his paintings is matched only by the often intense nature of their content. He conjures dark imagery in an exquisite, thought provoking fashion. These images range from a 17-year-old junkie to a 1950’s-style portrait of a young child. However, the colors and tone of each piece stand out with a natural vibrancy as Shannon creates facial expressions with a photographic attention to detail. Ultimately his work offers an unfiltered window into the every aspect of life.As a painter, Shannon’s work has gained more and more recognition in recent years. He began painting at the age of five and has been a lifelong artist. He attended Art Center College of Design and even designed many album covers while involved in the music industry as a producer, songwriter, and vocalist. After stepping away from music, Shannon immersed himself in his artwork. Author Jerry Stahl bought Shannon’s chillingly gorgeous painting of Marilyn Monroe’s face next to an open pill bottle. After that, actress Lindsay Lohan followed suit requesting a different version of the same painting from Shannon, who delivered a slight variation, inverting the pill bottle and adding a smile to Marilyn’s face. He shows, “For the Marilyn Monroe painting, she is out of focus and a bit fuzzy, but the pill bottle is completely clear.” He chooses to emphasize aspects that most artists would shy from. Shannon’s work also adorns the homes of famed producer Ross Robinson, KoRn guitarist James “Munky” Shaffer, From First to Last’s Sonny Moore and members of Slipknot. Shannon’s painting of a young girl being attacked by a crow served as the cover for Norma Jean’s 2006 underground hit Redeemer. Appealing to rockers, authors and starlets, these paintings resonate with everyone. Most recently, Crawford was commissioned to paint 3 pieces, for director Greg Strause. “Alien Vs Predator” Shannon discusses his artistic focus. “I like the content to be abstract, with elements of Pop Art, at the same time, applying the human form as a figurative study in a classical sense. I try to stay away from being too conceptual. Even though a piece needs to tell a story, it also needs to be beautiful. The paintings have to be aesthetically pleasing so people will want to put them up.” These vibrant depictions of harrowing imagery truly separate Shannon. In one painting of a woman’s face, there is an almost binary pixilation, showing a mathematical sense of structure. He comments, “I wanted the face to look pixilated, yet organic, almost impressionistic, at the same time.”For his art, Shannon pulls deeply from his personal experience and conveys that on canvas. “The inspiration is from a story or bizarre scenario created in my mind, the feeling and execution is from my soul, and these are all snapshots from my experiences. I create from what I know.” Shannon continues, “For me, painting is the most honest form of creation because it comes directly from me, without the influence of outside egos. I get to create without having to answer to anyone, and because of that, the art stays pure.”