About
Todd Sheehan originally started off in photography, having graduated from the NY Institute of Photography, but soon realized that he wanted a more hands-on approach to art and so he purchased some acrylics and canvases and started painting. “In photography I’m looking through a lens, pushing a button, and capturing art as it exists whereas in painting, I am putting my hands on the canvas and creating the art as it evolves, providing a deeper connection to something that didn’t exist before – creating pieces from a blank canvas or recreating existing images into something new.”
Todd is self-taught, developing his own style inspired by many different places and various abstract artists he admires. He tries to bring something personal to each piece and his works are often an outward reflection of what he is feeling and thinking on the inside. “Sometimes the art is a search within…I often try to find the connectivity between art, play and joy. However, some pieces may be darker than others and more abstract, but I don’t shy away from negative feelings. Both have a space to breathe in my work.”
Color is always an integral part of Todd’s art. “Sometimes the brighter (the color) the better but for others the choices come out best when I don’t think about it, and just grab whatever color. Literally my color choices might be mistakes that I just let go of and the canvas takes over. Getting out of my own way is important. I can have ideas of what I want it to be, but sometimes the canvas can have other ideas. So, I’ve learned to find the balance.”
Todd Sheehan grew up in Massachusetts and spent time on the west coast and down south before settling in New Hampshire where he currently resides with his wife and son and two cats. He is a member of the New Hampshire Art Association and his art has been sold locally as well as across the United States and was featured on a series of wine bottles in Napa Valley, California.
Gulls Way Studio
Gulls Way is a place where Todd spent summers growing up in New England and through most of his adult life. It is in this place that he felt most at home, and free to explore and express himself. Becoming an artist has provided similar harmony for Todd, and so he felt it natural to name the studio Gulls Way.