Shany Porras
“In 2018, I made the decision to go back to being a full-time artist. This was a tough decision, having spent 20+ years in a career in information security risk. Throughout my career, I had attempted to maintain artistic side-hustles alongside demanding corporate jobs, but it always left me feeling as if I had split personalities I could not reconcile. My creative self had to kill off my corporate-cool-calm-collected identity every weekend as I fiercely sought to create with wild abandon. After my son was born about 5 years ago, my swelling inner voice told me to follow my dreams, or else I would end up regretting it. I did not want my son and step-sons to see me as someone who did not chase her dreams. One October day, I took the leap and quit my job to the surprise of EVERYONE.
I spent the first year as a full-time artist learning about how to be an artist-entrepreneur in the age of social media. I painted at home and established a painting studio in Framingham, MA. I entered juried shows. I participated in art fairs. I got on Insta, Pinterest, Facebook, and launched my online shop called www.number5studios.com. I used everything I learned in my corporate career, and then sought to learn the rest of what I didn’t know as I went. I spent a lot of time painting bad paintings, but always with the confidence that one day I would like my own paintings. It took about a year before that happened.
Fountain Street came through for me right around that time. Having seen the high caliber of art shown at Fountain Street, I thought I needed another three+ years to re-sharpen my skills as an artist. However, one of the many things I learned in the corporate world is to take an educated and informed risk. I submitted my paintings to Fountain Street, pressing the ‘Enter’ key as I wished that I would be accepted. The universe must have heard me that night because I was subsequently welcomed as an ANNEX artist for 2020! In March, I shared the walls, curated by the generous and insightful Vicki McKenna, with incredible artists Anne Russell and Amanda Hill. The show would blend our art on the walls to offer a dialogue between our styles and artistic statements. The director and artists at Fountain Street were instrumental in getting me ready for my first show in 20 years!
The series of events that would define the history of what would be my first gallery show since graduating from college could not have been imagined. Opening night happened during SOWA First Friday in March and it was crowded and wonderful! It was bliss, and I couldn’t wait to have more people see my art the rest of March. A week later, the COVID-19 pandemic was taken more seriously in the USA. Governor Baker ordered social distancing requirements forcing the gallery to close. The gallery accepted private tours by appointment only and quickly mobilized to form an online shop for the show. They even extended the show through April to hopefully give patrons more time to come in. Then, another tragedy struck. On the evening of April 14th, a water main broke and flooded many businesses around 500 Harrison Avenue, Fountain Street Gallery included. This shut down the gallery completely. Some artists’ artworks were damaged, but thankfully, no one was hurt. Despite the disparity between what I had fantasized as my first gallery show and the reality of showing during a global pandemic (and a flood), I still have fond memories of this experience. I am grateful to work with Fountain Street, and I am fueled by my hope of what my creative future will bring.”