Meet Shannah Dean | Painter and High School Art Teacher

We had the good fortune of connecting with Shannah Dean and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Shannah, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
I think back to when I first started creating art when I was in high school. I started painting and I fell in love with it and knew it was something I wanted to do for the rest of my life. When I went to college, I took art classes and just kept going with it. That was where I learned about oil paint, and after that, I have never stopped painting. I was amazed by the textures and colors that were possible with oil paint, and I did my best to learn everything I could about it.
About 10 years after college, I decided that I would also like to teach art. Now in addition to painting, I also work as a high school art teacher and teach Drawing, Painting, Ceramics, and AP Art classes. My goal in the classroom is to teach art skills and hopefully have some students fall in love with art like I did at their age, and also to just give students a place to belong and hopefully make a positive impact on them.
So, I kind of feel like art has fulfilled me in so many ways in my life. I am able to create and share my paintings with others and I am also able to teach students and hopefully inspire them to create.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
As an artist, I love painting so much. I love mixing colors and working with textures. I love everything about oil paint, even the strong smells that come along with it. I try to use brushstrokes and textures to create a sense of movement and unity in my work. Most of my inspiration comes from the colors and light in the outside world. Over time, I have found so many subjects that I like to paint, with my main goal always being to show my own interpretation of the colors I see when I experience the world. I have exhibited art in shows, have painted murals, commissions, and I love all of it. I was recently asked, along with another friend, to paint watercolors of all the guests at a wedding. This was such a fun experience, as I got to meet so many different people while I was painting them.

As a high school art teacher, there are many things in my career that I am proud of. My main goal in my classroom is to create a space that is welcoming and where students are free to be themselves. I want to teach them to get better at art while giving them enough space to grow as artists. High school was where I really became interested in art, and I try to pass that on to my students. I am proud of the environment I have created in my classroom. I was recognized last school year as the Teacher of the Year for my school, which was a huge honor. And then after that, I was recognized as one of four finalists in my county for the Teacher of the Year for the entire county. This was an even bigger honor and was something I never imagined would happen. What this experience taught me personally is that what I do with art every day in my classroom matters. I have the privilege of working with around 150 students each day, and what I am doing is important enough that other colleagues recognize it.

I feel lucky because there is so much joy that comes along with creating art and teaching art, and I get to meet so amazing people along the way.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I really love food, so I would take them to some of my favorite restaurants. For breakfast, we would go to the Flying Biscuit and eat anything that comes with the raspberry sauce they have there. The best pizza in town is at Fellini’s, so we would defintely go there. And I love Mexican food, so we would go to Superica at Krog Street once for fajitas and Bone Garden Cantina once because I love the atmosphere and the tacos there.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I would like to dedicate this to my 2 children, Bailey and Gavin, and to everyone who has supported me and been there for me throughout my life

Instagram: @shannahdean

Facebook: Shannah Dean