Cheryl Shanahan

Cheryl Shanahan is a contemporary impressionist painter whose vibrant acrylic paintings celebrate the landscapes, waterways, and distinctive character of the American East Coast. A third-generation New Hampshire native, she divides her year between New Hampshire's Lakes Region and metropolitan Richmond, Virginia, drawing inspiration from the natural beauty, architecture, and cultural heritage of both regions. A graduate of the University of Richmond, Shanahan retired from a successful career in commercial construction in 2022 to pursue painting full-time, bringing years of experience in the built environment to her artistic practice. Her work reflects the influence of American painter Fairfield Porter and photographer André Kertész, whose approaches to composition, observation, and everyday life resonate with her own artistic sensibilities. Working with saturated color, expressive brushwork, and luminous light, she captures not simply how a place looks, but how it feels. Her paintings have been featured in solo and juried exhibitions throughout New Hampshire and Virginia, earning recognition through multiple awards and public art projects. Rooted in the belief that places hold our stories, Shanahan creates paintings that evoke joy, optimism, and a sense of belonging while inviting viewers to reconnect with places and memories that have shaped their lives.

View Available Works

• Riverside on the James - Richmond, VA, 2026
• The Conservation Center - Concord, NH, 2026
• New Hampshire Boat Museum - Moultonborough, NH, 2025

• University of Richmond, BA - Richmond, VA,1989 

• Canvas Rebel: Meet Cheryl Shanahan: https://canvasrebel.com/meet-cheryl-shanahan/ - March 5, 2025
• Bold Journey: Meet Cheryl Shanahan: https://boldjourney.com/meet-cheryl/ - Aug 19, 2025
• Voyage Virginia: Life & Work with Cheryl Shanahan https://voyagevirginia.com/interview/life-work-with-cheryl-of-metro-richmond - March 25, 2026