Exploring the Iowa countryside in his youth, Shawn established his connection with nature and his curiosity to see more. He now feeds his curiosity exploring the beaches and mountains near his Northern California home. The local landscape and wildlife provide abundant inspiration and reference material for his work.

Shawn's art comes from a wide range of influences; he sees an opportunity for growth through experience -- the wider the experience, the greater the growth. Workshops with Robert Bateman and continual influence from others like Bob Kuhn, Andrew Wyeth, Ray Harris-Ching and Georgia O'Keefe combine to make Shawn's work what it is today. Shawn has taken what he has learned from these great artists and incorporated it into his own, constantly evolving approach.

"Do not seek to follow in the footsteps of ancestors, seek what they sought."
- Matsuo Basho, 17th century Japanese poet.

Often, personal experience is the inspiration for Shawn's artwork. Many ideas for his paintings originate during trips into the wilderness he loves. It is deep in the wilderness where you find nature at its best, and where you can escape the distractions of modern life. Combining his experience and observations in nature with personal interpretation and creative expression, the paintings share a glimpse of Shawn's unique vision of the world around us. In the end, however, viewers will have their own experience with the imagery and their own response to it. Hopefully it will resonate with them in some way.

Shawn's work has received national recognition in Wildlife Art Magazine, as well as a February 2007 feature in American Artist Magazine. He has been named a finalist in the Artist's Magazine Annual Art Competition two years running, and his work has been exhibited in the Arts for the Parks Top 100, Birds in Art, and the Bennington Center for the Arts' Art of the Animal Kingdom. He was awarded Best of Show in the 2007 Redwood Art Association Spring Exhibition, and the 2006 Godwit Days Wildlife and Landscape Art Exhibition. Also in 2006, the Redwood Art Association unanimously chose to use his painting "Pink on Stilts" for their 50th anniversary poster.

Shows:

Birds in Art 2007
         Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum
         Wausau, WI

Arts for the Parks Top 100 2006
         Jackson Lake Lodge
         Grand Tetons National Park

Art of the Animal Kingdom 2005
         Bennington Center for the Arts
         Bennington, VT

Wildlife Art Show 2005-6
         Grants Pass Museum of Art
         Grants Pass, OR

Humboldt Art Council Annual Members Exhibition 2004 - 06
         Morris Graves Museum of Art
         Eureka, CA

Redwood Art Association Spring Show 2006 - 07
         Morris Graves Museum of Art
         Eureka, CA

Redwood Art Association Fall Show 2004 - 06
         Redwood Art Association Gallery
         Eureka, CA

Solo show - October 2004
         Arcata Marsh Interpretive Center
         Arcata, CA

Redwood Art Association Summer Show 2004 - 06
         Redwood Art Association Gallery
         Eureka, CA

Solo show - March - June 2003
         Hayward Shoreline Interpretive Center
         Hayward, CA

Solo show - November 2001
         Humboldt State University Natural History Museum
         Arcata, CA

Awards:

"Best of Show" Award for the Redwood Art Association Spring Exhibition 2007

"Riverside Heron" named a Finalist in the Animal Art category of the Artist's Magazine's 22nd Annual Art Competition 2005

"Best of Show" Award for the Godwit Days Wildlife and Landscape Arts Exhibition 2006

"Mountain Quail" named a Finalist in the Animal Art category of the Artist's Magazine's 23nd Annual Art Competition 2006

Bibliography:

"Maximizing the Versatility of Acrylic" American Artist Magazine, February 2007

"Shawn Gould: California Dreaming" Wildlife Art Magazine, November/December 2003

Shawn is a Signature Member of the Society of Animal Artists