That was a good one.
[laughing]
Wasn't that incredible?
Oh!
Yup.
She did it again.
Yeah, she told me about this piece
at the opening as this piece that she wanted to do.
And so exciting actually seeing it live.
And fantastic, she's amazing.
Let's put it up.
[music playing]
When I see something as fresh as Shawna's work,
I just know that it's going to do well.
Woo-hoo!
SHAWNA GILMORE: I kind of liked the idea
of these being brothers or friends sort of getting in
over their heads.
And suddenly, they have bunnies everywhere.
And let's just put them all in the bathroom.
And you know, mom will figure out what to do with it.
[laughing]
I'm Shawna Gilmore.
I'm a visual artist.
I paint in acrylics.
And I live in Duluth, Minnesota.
I have these, like, story lines going on in my head.
Those are the paintings I love the most,
that I can get lost in it and go into all different directions.
The painting's going to be called They Were Always
Losing Michael.
I kind of have an idea of what I want
to do with the people in it.
Once I have Michael's dad looking for him, and Michael's
mom, you know, upset, and then him
swinging across the background, like, what's the big deal?
[music playing]
I think humor is undervalued in art.
Because I love being weird, and silly, and funny, and playful,
and all those things.
And obviously, having kids helps with that.
[laughing]
They really love the funny ones.
Or they'll come in and be like, that's not funny, mom.
[laughing]
So they're my critics, too.
[music playing]
I guess I call it contemporary surrealism maybe
with a vintage feel.
MERRY BECK: The kind of retro quality within the work
is also kind of comforting and time-honored for people.
I think it takes them back to their childhood and, you know,
hearkens all types of memories.
SHAWNA GILMORE: I like that you can look at them,
and you don't see right away, like, wait a minute.
Their hand-- oh, that's--
it takes a while for you to, like, get it.
I think that's interesting.
[music playing]
MERRY BECK: This is called Chameleon, which is actually
the title of the series.
SHAWNA GILMORE: It's rooted in this desire to connect--
not just connect to my environment,
but sometimes disappear into it.
The show has turned from this, like, desire to sort of blend
into your environment or connect to it
to this whole other thing of, like, how are we
relating to our surroundings?
And how much a part of our surroundings are part of us?
MERRY BECK: The surreal-like element
where her figures come in and out of different settings, that
creates a really interesting narrative that I think
people are really tapping into, and wanting
to just see more of, and take into their own environments.
SHAWNA GILMORE: And also, it's just kind of cool
that their clothes are gone and they're, like, in the wall.
I just like that idea.
[laughing]
[music playing]
Oftentimes, I'll do these ones that don't really fit.
They're almost like misfit paintings.
And then, like, down the line, I see
that they were the beginning of something else.
[music playing]
When you're taking something seriously as your occupation,
you have to force yourself out your comfort zone,
and practice, and get better at stuff,
experiment, and learn from people.
[music playing]
It was a stretch for me at first, you know, just, like,
putting myself out there all the time.
And submitting to-- I submitted to a bunch of different things.
And my art wasn't really at a point
where I should have been doing that.
But I was glad I was doing it, because it was challenging
me to mature as a person.
[music playing]
To be comfortable with failure, I
think that's a really big deal.
Learning how to take risks is like being comfortable with it
not being perfect.
You know what?
It feels riskier to not do it for me.
The risky parts-- like, financially risky?
I mean, I guess it is financially risky.
I've never been somebody, like, focuses on money,
although, it's really nice.
[laughing]
When it works out, it's really great.
But it's not something I focus on.
Because it just isn't motivating for me.
I'm much more motivated by a full and satisfying life.
[music playing]