Very few college students-or artists for that matter-can claim that a piece of their work was displayed in a local Neiman Marcus. Junior Annie Shinn, however, nonchalantly mentioned that she received this distinction as a junior in high school.
Though painting has always been natural for her, Shinn only began seriously honing her craft in high school art classes. Yet, the abstract expressionist, who works in oils and mixed media, has had more commercial success than artists with much longer career spans than her own.
Her natural aptitude for painting has driven her to create art for most of her life, Shinn said. Still, she noted the difficulties inherent in transitioning from her small hometown of Winter Park, Fl., where her talent was well known, to the larger and more anonymous Duke community. "I didn't even take any art classes here first semester," she said.
Shinn was inspired to continue painting at the collegiate level after being exposed to Duke's art department. She said the small department's amazing professors keep her knowledgeable about happenings in the art world, she added.
As a double major in Public Policy and Visual Arts, Shinn has found the balancing act manageable, although this semester her schedule was too full for an art class.
Considering that most Blue Devils pursue majors with a profession in mind, many might assume that her decision to double major was spurred by a desire for job security. However, that isn't the case for Shinn. "I love the Public Policy major," she said, "But I still think I'll go more into the art world when I graduate."
Shinn has no illusions about the difficulty of her career choice. Though she knows she'll need to continue commissioning work in order to "make it," Shinn has decided not to let the pressure for commercial success define her work. "I don't have any plans when I start painting," Shinn said. "It's just my emotional state at the time."
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