Wednesday, May 04, 2016

Fox 5’s Shawn Yancy's really, really good artwork

Whodda Thunk It? Local DMV news anchor Shawn Yancy is not only one of the region's top newscasters but also a superbly talented artist!
You have said that journalism is black and white, while art is more of a creative outlet. Do you think journalism and art complement each other, or are they different?
I think they’re different. I don’t think news is as black and white as it used to be, but it’s black and white. We’re supposed to look at the facts. For me, art is my opinion all the time. In TV news, every now and then we can give a little opinion. In art, it’s all my opinion. It’s colorful. That’s not to say news isn’t creative because certainly there’s a lot of creativity and thought that goes into the shows that we produce and air every day. But it’s different. There are certain guidelines that we need to follow. This is the difference: News, basically you stay in [the] lines. With art, you can color outside of the lines. I never liked it when teachers said, ‘Color in the lines.’ I don’t believe that’s what you should do when it comes to art.
Installation paintings by Shawn Yancy

Read a really informative and very well-written piece about Shawn in Bethesda Magazine (which is usually taking the brunt of my ire for their lackluster coverage of the visual arts, but gets an A+ this time) here.


To see more of her work, visit her website at shawnyancy.com.

Tomorrow: Alper Session

May 5th
5:30-7:00 pm

Join the Alper for the second session of Free Parking, a series of salon-style conversations in the Alper Initiative for Washington Art. It could get rowdy as we review the life and art of musicians in the 70s and 80s DC Punk and New Wave music scenes. Special guests Bill Warrell and Michael Olshonsky.

This event is free and open to anyone interested in discussing the art and artists of the Washington Metropolitan area. Space is limited.