Panda-monium Outside, I’ma Stay In

Shaney Watters has traveled many paths, both personally and professionally, but her artistic wanderings have always been the most fulfilling. A childhood marked by frequent moves—seven by the age of nine, thanks to a father in aerospace engineering—gave her a unique lens on the world. And art always provided a faithful and constant companion. It was in the Netherlands, where she spent the longest stretch of her youth, that she began to discover a true sense of home, identity, and self.

At sixteen, her family returned to the United States, landing in Southern California. The transition from a quiet European town to the fast pace of American life was anything but easy, but it sparked a deeper curiosity about the emotional experiences that shape us. Shaney went on to study psychology and spent many years working as a licensed therapist. Yet it has always been through making art that she most deeply processes life, uncovers meaning, and builds connections—both within herself and with others.

Shaney’s mixed media paintings—primarily playful animal portraits—blend abstraction and realistic elements. By amplifying human qualities within her animal subjects’ expressions, she captures raw and relatable emotion. Her work humorously invites viewers to connect more deeply with their own emotional landscapes while celebrating the profound bond we share with the animal world.

Unbound by a single medium, Shaney finds freedom in play. Layers of graphite, acrylic, 18k gold leaf, colored pencil, oil paint, and even cold wax often come together in her pieces—each element becoming part of a layered conversation that brings every painting to life.