Shawnda Rossi
Artist Statement
As an artist, I am immersed in a creative environment and I am inspired by my students’ creativity and willingness to explore any possibility. My motivation also stems from my love for vibrant colors and influences from the German Expressionist artist Franz Marc.
I create every painting with expressive color and texture which brings life, uniqueness and fun to ordinary objects. I wish to remind viewers of the simplicity of life. Through this use of exaggerated light and color, loose and repetitive brush strokes and increased contrast, an energy and joyful experience is created for the viewer.
Artist Biography
As a child I grew up in Meadville, a small town in northwest Pennsylvania. Since I was young I always had a love for art. I remember my father teaching me how to draw birds in our dining room. I thought he was the best artist in the world. He made it look so simple. I continued to draw and tried to advance my skills but there are only so many skills you can fine tune while drawing Garfield and Snoopy. When I started junior and senior high school I enrolled in several different art classes and found that I was actually talented and could possibly continue to advance in the visual arts. I enrolled in the University of South Florida in Tampa and pursued my love of art by majoring in Fine Arts with a concentration in computer imaging. Upon graduating with my undergraduate degree I moved to Syracuse, New York and started working as a graphic artist. I then enrolled in the Masters program at Syracuse, University for Art Education and graduated with a MS in Art Education and certification in visual art K-12. As a student teacher I fell in love with teaching and at that point realized being in the classroom inspiring students was where I needed to be. I relocated to North Carolina for many reasons; jobs, weather, and opportunities. I started teaching at Ligon Middle School for half a year and moved to Washington Elementary where I taught Art for 3 years. A position at Wakefield High School opened and I was excited to be offered the job. After starting at Wakefield I was re-inspired to paint. I developed my own style and subject matter and decided to start entering my paintings into juried exhibitions. I also became interested in the Raleigh Street Painting Festival and won seven best in show awards. I was honored to be the guest artist in 2007. In the summer of 2007 I submitted my work to Local Color Gallery and I was pleased to be given the honor of becoming a member. I have been an active member for 5 years now. I am currently an Art teacher at Apex High where I am continuing to teach students as well as being inspired by my students. It is a new chapter in my life that I am very excited about.
Artist Statement
As an artist, I am immersed in a creative environment and I am inspired by my students’ creativity and willingness to explore any possibility. My motivation also stems from my love for vibrant colors and influences from the German Expressionist artist Franz Marc.
I create every painting with expressive color and texture which brings life, uniqueness and fun to ordinary objects. I wish to remind viewers of the simplicity of life. Through this use of exaggerated light and color, loose and repetitive brush strokes and increased contrast, an energy and joyful experience is created for the viewer.
Artist Biography
As a child I grew up in Meadville, a small town in northwest Pennsylvania. Since I was young I always had a love for art. I remember my father teaching me how to draw birds in our dining room. I thought he was the best artist in the world. He made it look so simple. I continued to draw and tried to advance my skills but there are only so many skills you can fine tune while drawing Garfield and Snoopy. When I started junior and senior high school I enrolled in several different art classes and found that I was actually talented and could possibly continue to advance in the visual arts. I enrolled in the University of South Florida in Tampa and pursued my love of art by majoring in Fine Arts with a concentration in computer imaging. Upon graduating with my undergraduate degree I moved to Syracuse, New York and started working as a graphic artist. I then enrolled in the Masters program at Syracuse, University for Art Education and graduated with a MS in Art Education and certification in visual art K-12. As a student teacher I fell in love with teaching and at that point realized being in the classroom inspiring students was where I needed to be. I relocated to North Carolina for many reasons; jobs, weather, and opportunities. I started teaching at Ligon Middle School for half a year and moved to Washington Elementary where I taught Art for 3 years. A position at Wakefield High School opened and I was excited to be offered the job. After starting at Wakefield I was re-inspired to paint. I developed my own style and subject matter and decided to start entering my paintings into juried exhibitions. I also became interested in the Raleigh Street Painting Festival and won seven best in show awards. I was honored to be the guest artist in 2007. In the summer of 2007 I submitted my work to Local Color Gallery and I was pleased to be given the honor of becoming a member. I have been an active member for 5 years now. I am currently an Art teacher at Apex High where I am continuing to teach students as well as being inspired by my students. It is a new chapter in my life that I am very excited about.