THE ART ANGEL – My Favorite Jobs

Lately, I’ve been thinking about this wild ride called life and all the different jobs I’ve had to support me and my true love…ART!

My favorite jobs were…

1) TWA Flight Attendant ~ Wow, did I LOVE that job. It suited me perfectly because I love people…I actually love serving people & love talking with pretty much everyone ! Where else on earth can you find a job with so much diversity? I also love the sky & clouds and I love to travel! I had plenty of time off to make art & play…it was perfect! Sadly, we were laid off.

2) AMERICA’S MOST WANTED TV SHOW ~ Yes! I was a “Hotline Operator” for AMW. I am a child advocate & have tiger mother instincts when it comes to protecting children & always watched that show for that reason. When I heard they were looking for operators & I jumped right in! Met John Walsh a few times at the studio & Xmas party… what a wonderful, kind man he is! I absolutely love him! I know you can see me on one of the old re-runs. It was a great job but after a year I had to quit because I was getting too depressed…you really need a thick skin to listen to all those horrible stories. I am just too sensitive.

3) ANIMATION ~ I love animation! So much fun! I worked at Mill Valley Animation, painting Gary Coleman, Smurfs and Pac Man cartoons & on the movie “The Plague Dogs” , painting cells, old style with Nepenthe Productions. They were the same people who made “Watership Down”. I loved it & I absolutely love cartoon & animation people! Most animation is done on computers now! BooHoo!

4) WORKSHOPS & PAINTING FACES ~ I have several workshops I’ve created that combine art & movement. My biggest passion…I love to dance & paint! Eventually, I will be offering my “SOUL TREK” dance trance & “CANVAS DANCE” art & dance workshops in Seattle. Face Painting too! I can’t wait to paint some faces! YAY!

I am thankful for all the great non-art & art jobs I’ve had that have supported me to be creative. I’m learning now, how to animate my characters & hope to have them up on YouTube asap!

Thanks For Visiting!!

Take Care!

THE ART ANGEL – ALICE IN WONDERLAND – FRIDA & DIEGO IN WONDERLAND

Doesn't Diego look like Twiddle Dee? — Frida Kahlo & Diego Rivera in Alice In Wonderland

Twiddle Dee is Diego Rivera — Diego as Twiddle-Dee and Frida as Alice In Wonderland

Alice In Wonderland

Diego as Tweedle-Dee & Frida as Alice In Wonderland

These are preliminary sketches for paintings I’m preparing to paint.

The Art Angel – WHIRLING DERVISH!

WHIRLING DREVISH

WHIRLING DERVISH

Baby Whirling Dervish

THE ART ANGEL – PHOTO BOOTH ART

Bethann Shannon Praying with stranger in photo booth

Photo Booth Art / Performance Art by Bethann Shannon

100 Strangers Praying
Times Square 1986

I moved from Washington, DC to New York City in 1986 with a mission to find a doll maker for an angel I had a dream about. I took a job as a cocktail waitress at the brand new Marriott Marquis Hotel on Times Square.

In those days, Times Square was quite a bit different than it is today…filled with Triple X movie houses, crowded video arcades and hundreds of poor, penniless, homeless, desperate, and some dangerous souls wondering around the surrounding streets.

After work, I often stopped at an arcade called “PLAYLAND”. I would quickly run into the photo booth inside and take random shots documenting my mood at that moment. One day I found myself praying, really praying…praying hard for help.

The photo booth was an impromptu sanctuary in the midst of a chaotic world. It was private, quiet and reminded me of a church confessional…I closed the little curtains, put a dollar in the slot and started to pray. I remember feeling deep despair that day. I needed help. I needed God to be real.

Shortly after, the picture popped out, I was struck by the beauty of the image of prayer, I decided to continue for one year as a spiritual, if not literally self reflective exercise.

There was also part of me that felt like “Here! I have actual proof that I was praying!” Perhaps I could do an experiment with God?…Will he answer my prayers?…How long does it take to have prayers answered? Or even if there really was a God to validate my prayers? I was consumed with questions about God, spirituality and prayer.

My personal struggles with Faith, God and Religion is a reoccurring theme in my life and my art work.

It was a few days into the project when I found myself thinking about other people…I started watching the people in the arcade and on the streets of Times Square….Do they pray? What do they pray for? How do they look when they pray?

It was at that moment I decided to include strangers in this series of photographs. It was very spontaneous and accidental really…not calculated or planned.

I began approaching strangers everyday for 4 months to pray with me in that photo booth…these are the results…

100 STRANGERS PRAYING

THE ART ANGEL – PHOTOBOOTH PERFORMANCE ART

PHOTOBOOTH ART Performance Art by Bethann Shannon — PHOTO BOOTH ART/ Performance Art by Bethann Shannon 1986

Wanting to share some Performance Art from 1986 I did in NEW YORK CITY/ Times Square….
100 Strangers Praying & How To Pray
CLICK:

100 Strangers Praying Photobooth 1986 Times Square

I found myself praying (really praying!) in a photo booth, in NYC, on Times Square, 1986.
I really loved the pictures of me praying and started a series of self portraits. My plan was to take a praying self portrait everyday…but then…
I got curious about other people…

Do they pray?

What do they pray for?

And how do they look when they pray?

I started approaching strangers everyday for 4 months to pray with me.

These are some of the pictures from that series at these links:

http://www.bethannshannon.com

http://www.flickr.com/theartangel/