While traveling through rural New England, one will notice the beautiful landscapes that inspire the paintings of Shaunna Duffy Smith. She frequently paints New England scenes close to her heart and home. A native of Manchester, New Hampshire and now a resident of Merrimack, New Hampshire Shaunna enjoys creating "the ordinary landscape in an extraordinary way." She says, "My favorite places are common ones."
Her work reflects a variety of areas from lush wetlands to windswept winter scenes; all are everyday places that you and I pass by with just a glance. "I want to make people stop to really look at the beauty they are missing," she states.
Shaunna works primarily from photographs and sketches. In addition, she returns to each location several times to become immersed in the surroundings.
"When on location, I take in the atmosphere, colors, and mood of the setting, so I can capture the essence of a particular place," states the artist. Later… in the studio, she develops the painting.
Influenced by her artistic mother, Shaunna’s formal art education began early with private art lessons at the age of six and continued through high school. She graduated from Colby Sawyer College in New London, New Hampshire with a studio arts degree in drawing and painting. After graduating she became an art teacher and currently teaches in the Manchester school system. She holds a Master’s Degree in Education with an art emphasis from Notre Dame College.
"I feel so fortunate, because art has enriched my life," states Shaunna. "Hopefully, through teaching art and exhibiting my paintings, I can help to enrich the lives of others as well."
