Shannon McFate has been painting since she was a little girl, originally from the Midwest she moved to Colorado with her family when she was 15 and has loved every moment since. Art has always had a place in her life. With a dual degree in Fine Arts Painting and Forensic Psychology, art has become necessary part of her life. Shannon has worked as a victim advocate for more than 17 years. She has great passion for working alongside crime victims and their families and leans heavily on her supportive husband and two beautiful boys to keep that delicate work/life balance. After taking a small break from art to focus on her babies, Shannon is back at it and bursting from the seams with strong pivoting styles from one piece to the next. She often works on a minimum of four paintings at a time in mediums including acrylic, oil, watercolor, resin, wood, canvas, ink, paper and sometimes even a pizza box in a pinch. Her mind is never quiet and art satisfies her nonstop brain and helps her escape from the heaviness that often comes from her support for victims. In contrast to that weight, much joy emerges in the works she creates.

“There is this moment when someone first sees my art that I feel truly exposed and in those beats before something is said… I am both terrified and excited at the same time because in that moment I feel truly seen.”