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BIO
Shawn McNulty is an abstract expressionist painter based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where he has maintained his studio in the historic Thorp Building in Northeast Minneapolis for more than two decades. Since earning his BFA from St. John’s University in 1997, McNulty has developed an extensive body of work exploring the intersection of color, texture, movement, and form.
Working primarily with acrylic paint and pumice, McNulty creates layered compositions that balance spontaneous gestures with deliberate structure. His process combines elements of action painting and color field painting, often incorporating unconventional tools and techniques to challenge his relationship with the canvas.
His work has been exhibited nationally and internationally, including exhibitions at the National Galleries of Scotland, and is held in public and private collections worldwide. Notable collections include those of President Bill Clinton, Peyton Manning, General Mills, Emerson, Paramount Pictures, Bellagio Hotel, and U.S. Bank Stadium. McNulty was a founding member of Rosalux Gallery, a Minneapolis artist cooperative, where he remained an active member from 2002 to 2021.
Artist Statement
My paintings explore the space between control and chaos, structure and spontaneity. I’m interested in how recognizable forms, architectural shapes, and references to the natural world can emerge from layers of paint that begin with little more than an impulse. I want the work to feel both constructed and unpredictable, as if something is trying to organize itself while resisting the urge to behave.
My process combines action painting and color field painting. I work primarily with acrylic paint and pumice, building thick surfaces, scraping them back, and adding new layers until the composition begins to reveal itself. I use commercial joint knives, homemade tools, and occasionally my feet with what I call a shoe palette knife. These experiments disrupt familiar habits and introduce an element of chance that keeps the process interesting.
Color is central to my work. I’m drawn to the way colors interact, collide, and establish unexpected relationships. Large areas of color create a sense of calm, while rough textures, fragmented shapes, and energetic marks push against that serenity. I like that tension. The paintings can appear quiet from a distance, then become increasingly complicated the closer you look.
I rarely know exactly where a painting is going when I begin. Each layer creates new possibilities and forces decisions about what to preserve, conceal, or remove. I continue working until the composition finds its own balance.
Ultimately, I want to create paintings that reward curiosity rather than offer a single explanation. The work should leave room for the viewer’s own experiences, associations, and imagination. If a painting feels completely resolved before I’ve had a chance to surprise myself, something is probably missing.
Little About Shawn
What’s something people don’t know about you, or would be surprised to learn about you?
I hosted a weekly live public access television show when I was in high school in the early 1990s.
What song/album/artist is currently on repeat in your studio?
I’ve been playing a lot of early new wave at the studio lately, so The Cars’ self titled 1978 album has definitely been in the mix.
When is your favorite time to create?
This used to be 12am-4am, but now its 12pm-4pm.
What is your guilty pleasure tv show or movie?
Breakin’
What is an unusual skill you have outside of art?
I have a collection of Bonsai trees (mostly weed trees that would otherwise be sacrificed.)
I’m not at Mr. Miyagi level yet, but pretty good.
If you weren’t an artist, what would you love to be doing?
It would be something outdoors. Either working for a parks department or gardening.
What’s your biggest artistic obsession right now?
I’ve been revisiting the Basquiat/Warhol collaborations lately. It’s interesting to see very clearly who did what section. I also really like their friendship.
What’s the most unexpected thing you’ve used in an artwork?
This is a three way tie between crushed up eggshells, a dead Katydid bug, and my roommate’s keys right after he totaled his car.
What was your first creative memory, or a specific artistic moment that made you realize,“I really want to do this?”
I remember my kindergarten teacher let me draw instead of napping during naptime.
Where were you born and where did you grow up?
I was born in St. Paul and grew up in the Vadnais Heights and Oakdale area.
Who are your artistic influences or mentors?
I’m most influenced by the first generation Abstract Expressionists, most notably Mark Rothko, Jackson Pollock, Hans Hofmann, Helen Frankenthaler, Franz Kline, and William Baziotes.
If your art had a personality, how would you describe it?
Curious, independent, slightly rebellious, and occasionally chaotic. It likes to experiment, push things around, and see what happens. Sometimes it knows exactly what it’s doing. Sometimes I just try to keep up.
How would you describe your style to someone unfamiliar with your work?
It’s abstract painting that balances control and spontaneity, with a lot of texture, color, and physical movement.
What color do you use most, and why?
It would probably be orange and blue together. They’re opposites, but work really well as a duo. Orange brings the heat and energy, while blue gives it something to push against. I like that kind of tension in a painting.