Biographical Information:
Eileen Sheppard is a visual artist who has spent most of her life in the greater Los Angeles/San Gabriel Valley area. She works primarily in oil and acrylic paint with occasional detours into oil pastel and other dry media, combining abstract and representational styles. She draws inspiration from her travels and from the world around her. Her drawings and paintings have appeared in regional and online exhibitions.
Eileen received a Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Visual Arts, with distinction, from UC Berkeley Extension, where she studied painting and drawing. Before Berkeley Extension, she attended ArtCenter College of Design and studied with teachers at Creative Arts Group, Otis College of Art and Design, Stanford Continuing Studies, and Pasadena City College, among others. A life-long artist, Eileen committed herself to a full-time art practice after retiring from a career as a teacher and administrator in Los Angeles city and county.
Certificate, Visual Arts, with distinction, UC Berkeley Extension
MA, Educational Leadership, Point Loma Nazarene University
BA, English, California State University, Los Angeles, cum laude
Artist Statement:
There is something wonderful about pushing paint around a canvas. It is a sensuous medium, engaging my senses and satisfying my need to create. It is a medium in which I am best able to express myself, the inner workings of my mind, and to connect with the wider world through the subject matter I choose.
I try to combine the abstract and representational in my work. I’m drawn to strong, structural shapes, both natural and human made. This affinity draws me to subjects such as cacti and succulents, industrial and historic structures and, lately, bridges, upon which to build my compositions. Sometimes the paintings contain literal representations of my subjects but then become more abstract as I work on them. I try to follow the advice of a trusted mentor: let the painting take you where it needs to go.
My current work explores the tension between hard-edged and softer, more organic forms, and the interplay of light and dark. In playing with these elements, I attempt to create a sense of movement. Although my work is primarily abstract, I am also exploring the tension between abstract and representational elements, preserving more of the representational in the work.
