Hello. I'm Shannon Collins. I enjoy people watching (especially in New Jersey malls), obsessive collecting, drooling over contemporary art, browsing flea markets and eating an absurd amount of cheese. In my Philadelphia abode, I create mixed media artwork in the company of my farmer-tanned fiancé, our Westiepoo (Betty White), our three rabbits (Cadbury, Willie Nelson and Applesauce) and our two frisky chinchillas (Ethel Funk and Maude).

My illustrations are the result of my obsession with old yearbooks, antique board games, vintage women’s advertising, pop culture and an increasing love for animals. With tracing paper, markers, and acrylic paints, I try to translate these idiosyncratic preoccupations with poodles, people and dirty words into something resembling art: Pepto-Bismol chugging roosters, Chihuahuas with Snoop Dogg faces and bunnies (lots and lots of bunnies). But whether it’s through paintings of Michael Jackson’s dharmic transference or just through drawings of my family and co-workers, my main goal is to make people smile.

In addition to these illustrations, I also create comic books and zines, revealing my awkward nostalgia for high school and the mortifying work experiences that used to pay the bills (like my summer as a salad bar bitch at an Old Country Buffet). A graphic memoir titled, “Come here, man!” is also in the works, in which I will introduce my pleasantly deranged and dysfunctional family. Currently, I am happily employed during the day as the senior editor and fine arts writer at LifeStyle Magazine.