For Shannon Saunders, a friendÕs gift of oil paints opened a new world.
ÒI fell in love with the whole painting process,Ó says the East Dallas resident, who describes herself as a self-taught painter.
Perhaps a passion for painting is in her blood. Her grandmother, Lillian Horsbrugh Saunders, was a painter in Amarillo in the early 1900s. Saunders says that many people in the West Texas area still treasure the still lifes, landscapes and paintings of flowers that were her grandmotherÕs speciality. Saunders finds her sense of color and composition similar to that of her grandmotherÕs, but finds that she Òpaints with more abandon.Ó
Saunders, a fan of Matisse, draws her inspiration from the color combinations that come from her garden. Many of her compositions are derived from her garden, home decor and dreams.
SaundersÕ work has been in shows and galleries in West Texas, New Mexico, Dallas and New York. Most recently, she has been asked by the Dallas Museum of Art to donate a piece for the Beaux Arts Ball in April.
Last January, Saunders began Groove Studio and had her paintings recreated on fine art gift cards. Other plans for the studio include fine art prints, calendars and new images on cards twice a year.
