Gwendolyn McShepard – Color & Whimsy, Slices of Life
“Art is the way we see our lives. It is the imagery we have upon waking at sunrise. It is the thoughts we think, the words we speak, and the air we breathe. When we’re exuberant, it is the light in our eyes, when saddened, the crease in our brows. It is the raison d’être – and colors all we do. Art is Life and life’s many nuanced experiences. My work is dedicated to the art of living.” – Gwendolyn McShepard
Gwendolyn has been nationally published for the past 9 years through Kappa Publishing of Philadelphia, PA in a host of magazines. She has been consistently active as an artist in the arts for more than 30 years and was most recently cited as one of the top up-and-coming artist in California’s Bay Area. She won her first national art contest at 7 years old, and her first art scholarship at 12, and has been wowing art audiences ever since. Having no patience for the narrow constrictions of most art instruction, she will proudly tell you that she is unschooled and untrained. Her work is simply what it is.
Born in Mississippi, raised and educated in Wisconsin, she now makes California her home. The integration of imagery from her life experiences have influenced her style, giving her work a sultry and soulful edge that is uniquely her own. Her bold use of color and the diversity of her range has endeared her to many collectors and art lovers over the years.
She is also widely known for her fabulously colorful and meticulously detailed street scenes, one of which recently made the cover of the California’s Contra Costa Times “weekend” section. Far from pristine, her street scene paintings are gritty and creatively colorful, having a lived-in feel, which makes them intriguing and ever mesmerizing for onlookers.
Most recently 4 of her abstract paintings were purchased and featured in San Francisco Chronicle’s “Style” section in a lavish design layout for San Francisco Bay Area homes. Other recent art design installations include Napa Valley vineyards, Amour Amour Wine Bar in San Mateo and a host of other hotels and business concerns.
A bold use of color and an uninhibited and sometimes folksy style is becoming her recognizable trademark. Fast becoming a master for her use of color and a keen eye for detail, her works seem to capture the moment with enchanting and enduring style. From her fanciful street scenes and abstracts to her more realistic and contemporary works, she is arguably one of the most diverse artists of her time.
She has exhibited all over California and sold thousands of original works of art in addition to private commissions shipped throughout the United States, Canada, France, Japan, and the U.K. Still searching for her perfect niche, she is content to build a collection of printable treasures in a vast array of mediums, styles and subject matter. Experimentation and a willingness to stretch her creative talents to the limits is what makes her artwork always colorful, unique, and inspiring for all.