Welcome to Shaney Fago Art

Artist Statement

I paint what moves me. Whether it’s a face or a figure, I attempt to capture the emotion within me when I paint it. My current work features portraits of pop culture icons but I also do commissioned works. I’m at my most vulnerable but most empowered when I create. I paint to music and it plays a large part in my work. The marks and strokes may be made with brushes or palette knives and blur the line between real and abstract. My work incorporates gesture and texture. What comes out on the canvas or board are the physical expressions of what I’m feeling.

A series of life-changing events over the past five years, including a pandemic, brought me back to art as a refuge.  After a routine mammogram, a lump, positive BRCA2 genetic test, combined with an extensive family history of cancer and lost loved ones, I made a decision. With two young daughters, I didn’t want to risk not seeing them grow up. My hugely elevated risks for breast and ovarian cancer led me to take preventive action through a series of major surgeries. Pouring myself into art was critical to my healing, both physically and emotionally. It has been a challenging road but my art and the support of my family inspire me. I hope you enjoy and connect with my work.

Biography

Shaney Sanders Fago lives and works in her home studio in Marin County, California. She grew up in the Midwest and is self-taught but her father was an artist and she has taken workshops and classes throughout her life to maintain and grow her skills as an artist. Shaney holds a Master of Arts Degree in Journalism (advertising, marketing, and communications). She worked as a senior marketing professional and consultant for thirteen years and then chose to be home and raise her two daughters, who are accomplished young musicians. In the past four years, she has begun working on her lifelong passion for creating art. She has collectors throughout the United States and the United Kingdom. She is a co-founder of the Women’s Art Alliance.