By Betsy Brewer Brantner
Contributing Writer

Some local people may remember Shannon Boutilier from Muse, the restaurant in Oxford that she and her husband ran for several years. However, Boutilier is also widely known and respected as a very accomplished artist.

Boutilier, who has been very involved with the Oxford Arts Alliance, was quick to say, “Art really changed Oxford.”

She remembers that First Fridays in Oxford started with the Arts Alliance.

“There are so many local artists in the community,” she said. “The Oxford Arts Alliance brought them together. That has meant so much to so many artists.”

Boutilier got her start at Moore College of Art and Design in Philadelphia, where she majored in illustration.

“Initially, I was doing illustrating,” she explained. “I would get freelance gigs with newspapers and magazines. Eventually, I worked for NBC doing graphic design. I actually created TV graphics behind the newscasters. I got into animation as well.”

Now she works for the Klick Agency.

“Klick is rooted in strategy. They work with a product from the beginning stage  to the fruition of a tactical execution. It starts with a campaign,” she said.

Now she is getting back to painting.

“I work mostly with acrylics,” she said. “I was playing with oils, but I felt like I tended to overwork them. Working with acrylics forces you to be abrupt in your stroke. I also use oil sticks and graphite pencil as understructure. I then leave some of the initial sketch on there to keep it more organic. I want the face to be the focus.”

Most of her subjects do tend to be women.  She has worked with the Oxford Arts Alliance for years. Both of her daughters took classes at the Arts Alliance. Her daughters ended up going to Savannah College of Art and Design, and moving forward in their own careers.

She did some rebranding for the Oxford Arts Alliance and is also on the organization’s board. The current show at the Arts Alliance is a Member’s Show, and one well-worth seeing. It might surprise some attendees to discover their neighbors are artists. The Oxford area does seem to have an abundance of artists.

Art has changed this town, and it has changed Boutilier.

“Art is very important to me,” she said. “I don’t do it for money. My main purpose in doing it is to get lost in it. I enjoy working in different mediums and love to lose myself in the studio. I have more time to paint and spend an entire day in my studio. I feel it is something I have to do. It’s a calling.”

Art has contributed much to the vibrancy of Oxford.

Boutilier also wanted to invite people to check out The Hook Experiment located on S. Third Street. The Hook Experiment does pop up shows, featuring an all-women’s gallery, musical performances and more. There will be an event coming up in September.

Discovering the art and music in Oxford is part of the growing charm of this historic town.