Shannon Cannings is a Pittsburgh-born artist who lives and works in Lubbock, where she serves as Assistant Professor of Practice in Drawing at Texas Tech University. Trained in painting at the Tyler School of Art and Syracuse University, she has exhibited widely across Texas and nationally, with work shown in museums and art centers from the Texas Biennial to the Albuquerque Museum.

Cannings is a four-time Hunting Prize finalist and her work has been featured in major arts publications including New American Paintings, Glasstire, and D Magazine. Known for her technically precise painting style, she explores themes of American consumer culture, nostalgia, and visual contradiction. Her earlier hyper-realistic depictions of toy guns have evolved into more abstract compositions featuring mylar distortions, balloons, and reflective surfaces. These shifting forms act as visual metaphors for collective uncertainty, fractured perspectives, and cultural transition.

Rather than reacting to single events, Cannings creates work that acknowledges societal distortion while seeking moments of beauty and shared humanity.