Shanan is a Boise native, attended B.S.U. and has been painting all her life. Her interest in art developed at an early age. She has been painting animals and wildlife since grade school. Her work often features Idaho landscapes and recognizable places. She has a summer home at Cascade and takes field trips from there to the most beautiful lakes and rivers Idaho has to offer. She also loves the Stanley area and has painted those famous Sawtooth Mountains many times. She works mainly in acrylic, usually on canvas, but does do cards and small works in watercolor. Her style is realistic with a concentrated effort on detail.

"I enjoy the hunt for the subject as much as the process of painting. I love to stop on every field trip to take photos and do quick sketches. Every scene has something appealing to me. My goal is to produce paintings with a relaxed, peaceful feeling. I also try to reproduce the areas I paint in a realistic, recognizable way. If I can fit in some wildlife in that scene, then I am really pleased."