Best known for her large-scale, vibrant oil paintings, Sheila Dunn lives and paints in the beautiful town of Bend, Oregon.

In 2006, she received a BFA in painting and a minor in art history from Colorado State University. Her love for creating – and belief in its absolute cultural significance – was solidified while studying abroad in Castiglion Fiorentino, Italy in 2005. In the birthplace of the Renaissance she deepened her understanding of art’s ability to transform and transcend; to be a placeholder of our past and an instrument of our progress & growth.

In 2019, she was selected by the US State Department to be a featured artist in the Art in the Embassies program, founded by the Museum of Modern Art and President Kennedy in 1963. She was invited to do a week-long exchange in Kathmandu, Nepal where she gave lectures at art universities and met with prominent Nepali artists & organizations.
Sheila’s recent focus has been using her artwork as a vehicle for activism. She has donated large portions of her painting + print sales to various conservation and social justice organizations including the Conservation Alliance, Wild Salmon Center, Oregon Natural Desert Association, Central Oregon LandWatch, ACLU and International Rescue Committee.

When not in the studio, Sheila can be found exploring the wonders of the Pacific Northwest and searching for her lost keys.

Artist Statement – 2023

My work explores the fluid relationship between figure and environment: how each continuously informs and affects the other.

This exploration is apparent in my technical approach to the work: fractal brushstrokes of the figure extend into the environment while traces of the environment always remain present within the figure.

At the heart of this exploration lies the notion that we both form – and are formed by – all we have seen and experienced.

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