Award winning New England artist, ShawnaLee W. Kwashnak, loves animals, a warm cup of coffee, and bringing joy to others by creating Portraits of pets and people. With attention to detail, ShawnaLee strives to capture the spirit of her subjects in every work. Each piece is created entirely by hand in the time honored way using authentic artist materials and comes with a Certificate of Authenticity. ShawnaLee is a Cum Laude graduate from Western Connecticut State University with a BA in Studio Art and Graphic design/Illustration and has been instructing art for over 28 years. She has served as Youth Art Director and program developer for the Ridgefield Guild of Artists, and taught at many venues as well as privately. She is a current board member of the CT Society of Portrait Artists, a member of SCAN, WAA and also the Richter Association for the arts. Her work has garnered numerous awards including An Award of Excellence from the Richter, Newtown Savings Bank Award from SCAN, recent feature articles in Northeast Equestrian Magazine & Middlebury Magazine as well as the Susan Wakeen Studio Art Award 2019. She is a mother of three, leader of an active Girl Scout Troop and shares her studio space with 4 cats, rabbit, a turtle, and if horses could come inside, the horse too!