Mark Shasha (born 1961) is an American artist. He is also an author, illustrator and educator. His subjects are often familiar and are usually inspired by the textures and light found along the

New England New England is a region consisting of six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the ...

coast where he lives and works. Shasha studied art at

Rhode Island School of Design The Rhode Island School of Design (RISD , pronounced "Riz-D") is a private art and design school in Providence, Rhode Island. The school was founded as a coeducational institution in 1877 by Helen Adelia Rowe Metcalf, who sought to increase th ...

where he received his B.F.A in 1983. His artwork has been seen in museums, galleries and dozens of publications for three decades. His paintings have appeared in more than 50 notable exhibitions from Hollywood, California to the

Lyman Allyn Art Museum The Lyman Allyn Art Museum is located in New London, Connecticut, and was founded in 1926 by Lyman Allyn's daughter Harriet Upson Allyn.

in Connecticut and the

Society of Illustrators The Society of Illustrators (SoI) is a professional society based in New York City. It was founded in 1901 to promote the art of illustration and, since 1959, has held an annual exhibition. Since absorbing the Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art (M ...

in New York City.

Children's books

Mark Shasha began his career in art as a writer and illustrator with ''The Boston Phoeni'' x, the

Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe,'' also known locally as ''the Globe'', is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes. ''The Boston Globe'' is the oldest and largest daily new ...

and several other publications. His first book, the children's classic¹ '' Night of the Moonjellies'' (

Simon & Schuster Simon & Schuster LLC (, ) is an American publishing house owned by Kohlberg Kravis Roberts since 2023. It was founded in New York City in 1924, by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. Along with Penguin Random House, Hachette Book Group US ...

, 1992) was inspired by childhood memories of working at his family's hot dog stand by the sea in

New London, Connecticut New London is a seaport city and a port of entry on the northeast coast of the United States, located at the outlet of the Thames River (Connecticut), Thames River in New London County, Connecticut, which empties into Long Island Sound. The cit ...

in the early 1970s. The story features a warm relationship between a boy and his grandmother along with a variety of characters busy with the hustle and bustle of the fast food business. It also features a bioluminescent jelly-like creature found in the

North Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the Age of Discovery, it was known for ...

called a moonjelly or

Ctenophore Ctenophora (; : ctenophore ) is a phylum of marine invertebrates, commonly known as comb jellies, that inhabit sea waters worldwide. They are notable for the groups of cilia they use for swimming (commonly referred to as "combs"), and they ar ...

(pronounced 'tee ne for'). Another book by Shasha, ''The Hall of Beasts'' (

, 1994), an unusual story about a mysterious mural in an abandoned inn by the sea, did not fare quite as well commercially.

Early influences

N.C. Wyeth Newell Convers Wyeth (October 22, 1882 – October 19, 1945), known as N. C. Wyeth, was an American painter and illustrator. He was a student of Howard Pyle and became one of America's most well-known illustrators. Wyeth created more than 3,000 ...

Chris Van Allsburg Chris Van Allsburg (born June 18, 1949) is an American writer and illustrator of children's books. He has won two Caldecott Medals for U.S. picture book illustration, for ''Jumanji'' (1981) and '' The Polar Express'' (1985), both of which he al ...

Edward Hopper Edward Hopper (July 22, 1882 – May 15, 1967) was an American realism painter and printmaker. He is one of America's most renowned artists and known for his skill in depicting modern American life and landscapes. Born in Nyack, New York, to a ...

Winslow Homer Winslow Homer (February 24, 1836 – September 29, 1910) was an American landscape painter and illustrator, best known for his marine subjects. He is considered one of the foremost painters of 19th-century America and a preeminent figure in ...

and

John Singer Sargent John Singer Sargent (; January 12, 1856 – April 15, 1925) was an American expatriate artist, considered the "leading portrait painter of his generation" for his evocations of Edwardian era, Edwardian-era luxury. He created roughly 900 oil ...

Partial bibliography

Night of the Moonjellies

The Hall of Beasts

References

¹''Smithsonian Magazine'', 1992, Nov. p. 42 ²''Marblehead Reporter'', “Hitting a Home Run - Mark Shasha’s Great Contribution”, June 2, 2005 p. 1 ³''The Boston Globe'', "Mark Shasha's Harbor", June 21, 2005 p. E4 Living/Arts ⁴Robert's Snow, 2005 * ''Salem News'', "The Pages of Children's Books Fill Marblehead Museum", by Matthew K. Roy, Feb. 2, 2006 * ''The Boston Globe'', "Mark Shasha's Harbor", June 21, 2005 p. E4 Living/Arts * ''The New York Times'', Vivien Raynor, "Dancing Fairies, Cavorting Pigs: Illustrations for Children’s Books" August 8, 1993, p. 16 * "Something About the Author", ''Who's Who Encyclopedia of American Authors'', volume 83, ''Mark Shasha'', pp. 202–203. Gale Pub.1993 * ''The New London Day'', "A Window to the World – Mark Shasha", August 28, 1992, p. B7* * Lyman Allyn Museum of Art, Exhibition directory, New London, CT. 1992 * Children's Museum of Southeastern Connecticut, directories, 1998-2008 * ''Smithsonian Magazine'', 1992, Nov. p. 42 * ''Five in a Row'', Vol I, 1994, pp. 30–33 * ''Literature & Writing Connections : How to Make Books with Children - Grade Level 1 through 6'' by Joy Evans, p. 134 * ''Read This Book Before Your Child Starts School'' by Miriam W. Lukken, p. 106 * ''Sesame Street Parent’s Guide'', Natural Wonders, by Judith Rovenger, July/August issue, 1993 * ''The Regional Standard'', Salem, CT., “The Book-writing Business”, June 18, 1994, p. 20 * ''The Hartford Courant'', ''Student’s Get Taste of the Write Stuff'', May 2, 1996, p B6 * ''Marblehead Reporter'', “Hitting a Home Run - Mark Shasha’s Great Contribution”, June 2, 2005 p. 1 * ''The Reporter'', “Swampscott Artist Creates Signature Piece for Hospice”, May 26, 2005 A&M p. 3 * ''North Shore Sunday'', “A Sort of Homecoming”, Art Section, May 27, 2005 * ''Robert’s Snow'' by Grace Lin, Viking/Penguin Children’s Books, sch.pub.2006 * ''The Whale Trail Book – 50 Fabulous Whales'', Summer 2005, Whale Trail Publishing, K&M Publishing, New London, CT. p. 12 * ''The Salem News'', “Blooming at the Hooper Mansion”, May 13, 2005 p. B2 * ''Artists of The Rockport Art Association - 85th Anniversary Issue'' - published by Rockport Art Association Press, 2006 * ''The Past & Present: Time and Space Cannot Separate Them'' by Kathleen Valentine and Ted Tysver, ''Celebrating 85 years of the North Shore Arts Association'' – North Shore Arts Association of Gloucester, Inc. 2007, pp. 65 * ''Boston Globe – Arts and Entertainment'' – Weekend, May 31, 2008 p. 12 * ''Boston Globe – Arts North'' – In Local Galleries “Wendy Killeen” - June 1, 2008 – P.3 * ''Smithsonian Magazine'', “Notable Books”, Nov. 2003 Issue * ''Boston Globe'', People/North, “Mark Shasha at Grosvenor Park”, July 6, 2003 p. 10 * ''The Regional Standard'', Colchester, CT.,“Artist’s Sketches Draw Attention”, Vol. 9. Issue36, May 11, 1996 * ''The Middletown Press'', “The Art of Drawing”, March 6, 1996 p. A3 * ''Publishers Weekly'', Jun 6, 1996, p. 64 * ''Publishers Weekly'', July 20, 1992, p. 249; * ''Booklist'', Dec 15, 1992 p. 24 * ''School Library Journal'', Dec. 1992, p. 36 Shasha exhibition history in direct reference to the above article * "Moonjellies and Daydreams - The Art of Mark Shasha" - The Maritime Museum, New London Connecticut, June–August 2012 * ''The Guild of Boston Artists'' – “The New England Painters” – 2008 * ''The Past and the Present -Time and Space Cannot Separate Them'' – The 85th Anniversary Exhibition of the North Shore Art Association - distinguished artists of the association’s history, Gloucester, MA. 2007 * ''Robert’s Snow Exhibition'' (traveling: Hollywood, Chicago, Newburyport, New York) 2005-2006 * ''Connecticut Fine Arts Academy 94th Annual Invitational Exhibition'', Mystic, CT, 2005 * ''The Art of Children’s Literature'' - Lyman Allyn Museum – New London, CT, 1993

External links

Mark Shasha's homepage

The International Artist Bluebook - Shasha listing

Guild of Boston Artists - Mark Shasha page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shasha, Mark 20th-century American painters American male painters 21st-century American painters American children's book illustrators 1961 births Living people People from Swampscott, Massachusetts American male writers Rhode Island School of Design alumni 20th-century American male artists