The Arts Alley District, comprised of The Modbo and S.P.Q.R., proudly presents two new shows opening at 5:30 pm on Friday, February 11th, 2011, and running through Friday, March 4th. The Modbo will feature “The Lady and the Lion,” new works by Shannon Dunn, while S.P.Q.R. will be home to Neil Fenton’s newest body of work, “Us. Expressions of Heartbreak Through Portraiture.” There will be live music at 9 pm by Tom Skora of Broken Spoke.
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“The Lady and the Lion,” showing at The Modbo, is borne of a series first created by Shannon Dunn in 2008 for a special friend who was struggling with addiction in her life. This in turn led to a series of personal paintings for the artist. With this series, Dunn explores the different characteristics of both God and humans in a body of work that is at once deeply personal and entirely accessible for the viewer.
A Chicago native, Shannon Dunn attended Illinois State University in Normal, Illinois where she studied Art Education. After graduating in 2003, the artist relocated to Colorado Springs, Colorado to teach art at a local school. During this time, Shannon began to develop herself as a painter as well as a teacher.
From art educator and painter, to set designer and muralist, Shannon’s art career has displayed itself in a number of different roles. Now a full time mother and artist, Shannon’s current body of work focuses largely on the human figure. Her concepts draw inspiration from the natural world, her observations of social behavior and her spiritual beliefs. Her work has been shown in various solo and group exhibitions at galleries, restaurants and coffee shops throughout the Pikes Peak Region. She currently resides in Colorado Springs, CO with her husband and young daughter.
Neil Fenton’s latest body of work, “Us. Expressions of Heartbreak Through Portraiture,” shows in S.P.Q.R. this month. Having worked for more than a decade in a variety of media, Fenton recently found himself confronted with artist’s block and depression stemming from the end of a relationship. He used this opportunity to begin a series of paintings of people who have experienced pains of the heart this year. The result is a show that is both conceptually and artistically fascinating.
Raised by potters in the San Luis Valley, Neil Fenton has studied art since adolescence, briefly attending CU Boulder. He worked for six years at a bronze foundry, and has also worked as a cartoonist. Fenton has had work in numerous group shows along the Front Range, and this will be my third one man show in as many years. He lives with his two cats in Manitou and likes juice.