CityViewNC.com
|
19
B
y many standards,
Shannon Stamey grew
up poor. In the western
North Carolina trailer park
he called home, however,
popsicle sticks and a well-
worn copy of Where the Wild Things Are
were ample fuel for his rich imagination.
"Grandma's big thing was going to
yard sales on Saturday morning," he said.
Her vintage magazine collection laid
the groundwork for Stamey's aesthetic.
When his coloring book filled up he
simply drew more things, but he had no
idea how to throw paint on canvas and
achieve a cover illustration. His childish
curiosity soon became a call to action.
Mowing yards provided money for
art supplies, and pencils proved the
most affordable. So he set out to do
with pencils what other people did with
paints. Being self-taught has given him
the opportunity to make a lot of mistakes,
and have a few happy accidents. "It's nice
to surprise myself sometimes," he said.
"I might pick up the wrong color pencil
and do something meant to be brown in
orange and it will turn out better."
Stamey is often asked why he doesn't
go digital. "I like the physical aspect of it,"
he said. "I like it when my forearms and
fingers are aching the next day because I
know I've gotten some work done." Hard
work is in his blood. His father, a hot tar
roofer, worked sixteen hour days and still
made time to pass the football. Stamey
himself used to box and play hockey.
"Getting knocked down hurts, but it's a
good feeling to get back up," he said.
By Melissa Gosselin Collins
HIS LIFE INFORMS HIS
Art
ILLUSTRATOR SHANNON STAMEY doesn't have
a fancy art degree or well-stocked studio. In fact,
he draws from something not typically associated
with art at all – a happy childhood.
Left | A little girl seeks solace in the
moon, who obliges her.
