Interview with ​Shannon Leigh O'Neil

Meet NUNUM's contributor: Shannon Leigh O'Neil

2/26/2023

NUNUM

Blending Flash Fiction & Art

Interview with Shannon Leigh O'Neil

Being able to have Shannon's work inside our last issue of 2022 was an amazing way for us to wrap up our fifth year with NUNUM. Shannon was kind enough to give us a bit of her time recently and if you have been here before, well then, you know how this starts.

Shannon, what was the first book you remember picking and reading by yourself?

**The Jungle by Upton Sinclair**

Ah, nice. It might be the first time someone has said that here but I have to believe you aren't alone. Let's get a little more modern, what was the last book you read that made you say damn that was a good book?

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr.

Capitol Graffiti by Shannon Leigh O'Neil

Which artists have influenced your current artistic direction?

Garlands Evergreen by Shannon Leigh O'Neil

So many! From Picasso to Basquiat ... also, specific to collage, Anne Ryan.

Is there an artist in your local community that you would recommend people check out?

Sara Leibman. She is an artist and a lyricist in the greater Washington D.C. area. She primarily paints with oil and cold wax, sometimes incorporating different media, including collage and yupo paper into her work.

What advice would you give someone who is just starting to send their work out to journals?

Just do it, like the Nike slogan. And don't be discouraged or intimidated by rejections. Rejection is a normal part of an artist's career. All successful creative people have been rejected in their lives. Also, be sure to thoroughly explore the publication you're submitting to, so that you feel sure that it's a compatible fit. (Don't send manga to a journal full of nature watercolors.)

Signature by Shannon Leigh O'Neil

Artist's Statement

I work primarily in mixed media and collage. My art is influenced by urban exploration, music, forays into nature, and my travels. I tend not to examine social justice or politics in my art unless that just organically happens ... which sometimes it does.

Shannon Leigh O’Neil is an artist and writer who recently

moved from New York City to the suburbs of Washington, D.C. She grew up partly in Southern California, roller-skating on The Strand, a scenic strip of concrete alongside the sparkling Pacific Ocean. The rest of her upbringing took place in rural Oklahoma, where she became interested in visual art by painting and checking out the only art book in the high school library. You can keep up with Shannon on Instagram.