The seventh of seven children born to Vernon and Elizabeth Duffy, Shanley Triggs grew up on a dairy farm in the Champlain Valley town of Milton, Vermont. After studying English at nearby Trinity College of Vermont, she became a schoolteacher and later worked as a legal secretary for her husband. She was introduced to watercolor painting at the age of 37 when she decided to enroll in a local class.
At that time in her life, she had lost her parents and several close family
members and it was dealing with the sudden loss that was difficult. Learning how
to paint proved to be therapeutic and she discovered that the challenge and process
of creating a painting was something that she truly enjoyed.
She actually found the healing power of art to be astounding. It was amazing to her. She spent three years painting every day, teaching herself the medium of watercolor, and her life became very balanced. She found that if you have total involvement in the art you are doing, it is like meditation.
An early instructor and inspiration for Triggs was the late Vermont painter Barbara Smail, a renowned artist in the state. She found Barbara Smail to be full of life and love and her enthusiasm for painting was contagious and that is why she was a gifted teacher. Any one of her hundreds of students would attest to this. She gave selflessly to the art community of Vermont. Her legacy is honored every year when an artist is selected for The Barbara Smail Award by the Burlington City Arts given to a working artist who has promoted art in the community.
Other painters that Triggs reads about, studies and enjoys include, Henri Matisse, Andrew Wyeth and Childe Hassam, Mary Cassatt, and Cezanne, Charles Reid and Jeanne Dobie.
Largely self-taught, Shanley Triggs has devoted more than two decades to watercolor,
participating in many festivals throughout New England as well as Vermont juried shows
in which she has received awards for her work. Scenes of her native Vermont, images
of favorite flowers, as well as paintings featuring her mother’s china tea cups seem
to especially resonate with people. In 2002, she created her business known as Vermont H’Art,
under which she now sells her original work and framed prints. Her 5 x 7 miniature
prints can be found in specialty gift shops throughout Vermont and Massachusetts.
In 2006, Triggs was one of twelve “On the Grounds Artists” at the Shelburne Museum in Shelburne, Vermont. In 2007, she was awarded an Artist Development grant by the Vermont Council on the Arts, through which she was able to study egg tempura painting and the art of religious icons, a new and continued area of focus for her. Currently, Shanley Triggs is a juried artist at the Burlington City Artists Market in Burlington, Vermont, where her art has been a part of the Saturday community tradition for the past five summer and fall seasons. A few times a year, she teaches watercolor classes as she is a strong advocate for the healing power of art. She is a member of the Bishop Street Artist in St. Albans and has been a member of the Northern Vermont Artists Association, the Southern Vermont Artists Association, the Vermont Watercolor Society and the Milton Artists Guild. She is a supporter of the arts and encourages others to make art of any medium.
