About Shannon Kelley Atwater

Shannon’s been an artist for as long as she can remember.  It’s been a passion since childhood that she’s been fortunate enough to be able to turn into a career for herself.  She was born and raised in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.  

She moved to New Orleans in 2005 to attend and in turn graduate from Loyola University.  She received her Bachelor of Arts in Visual Arts in 2009.  After college she sold her art on the fences of Pirate’s Alley and Jackson Square. In 2012, she opened and thoughtfully curated a gallery space in the French Quarter that carried her work along with fifty plus other artists.  That gallery was called The Green Eyed Gator at the corner of Chartres and Dumaine.  

She then decided to focus on family life in 2015 when she gave birth to her first child and has been doing predominantly commission based artwork since that time.  Shannon always fantasized that she would illustrate a children’s book someday but never thought the story would be her own.  At the end of 2018, an idea came to her and she wrote Angelo’s story.  She found the Society of Children’s Books Writer’s and Illustrators and they gave her the knowledge she needed to start navigate the publishing world.       

Shannon still resides in New Orleans, LA.  She fell in love with the city and with her husband and didn’t want to leave.  They feel lucky to get to raise their three children in such a unique place filled with such vibrant culture and creativity.  

She's also an active member of Krewe des Fleurs.  Shannon often describes herself as a “Mardi Gras enthusiast” and being a part of their larger than life magical moving garden gives her a way to celebrate all year long. 

Shannon has been a featured author at The Louisiana Book Festival, The New Orleans Book Festival, and featured on NPR’s the Reading Life with Susan Larson.

Get in touch with Shannon at hello@shannonkelleyatwater.com