CONNOQUENESSING TWP — Shauna McChesney loves nature and loves painting.

So she decided to combine the two.

Less than two years after embarking upon a career as an artist, McChesney will be the Cranberry Artists Network’s featured artist during June. Her solo gallery display, “Colors of Nature,” will run from June 5-30 at the Cranberry Township Municipal Center.

She will have 45 pieces of art on display at the gallery.

McChesney, a Connoquenessing Township resident, joined the Cranberry Artists Network less than a year ago.

“I wanted to do more networking and meet more people,” McChesney said. “It has been great being part of that group.”

The Cranberry Artists Network has about 100 members and hosts four art shows per year. The organization meets twice per year at the Cranberry Township Municipal Center and holds all of its shows there.

“It’s a wide-ranging group of artists,” publicist Kathy Bischak said of the Cranberry Artists Network. “We’ve had the group for 12 years. Members are from Pittsburgh, Butler County, Beaver County, Lawrence County, parts of Ohio ... all over.

“We like to give local artists a chance to shine.”

A 2002 graduate of Butler Senior High School, McChesney became interested in art in fourth grade. Her grandfather, Robert Solkovy, piqued her interest in the craft.

“He fought in World War II and was in the hospital for a long time,” McChesney said. “He began doing portraits as a hobby. Learning about that got me interested in art.

“I took art classes in elementary school, then through high school. I loved painting animals. Once I went to college, though, all of that went away for a while.”

McChesney graduated from Edinboro University with a degree in graphic design. She worked as a graphic designer for 10 years.

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, everyone’s life changed. McChesney’s career changed as well.

“I took walks with my son at Preston Park and Moraine,” she said. “He’s a Boy Scout and I’ve always loved the outdoors. We’d hike for two or three miles and I realized something in my life was missing.

“I had dreams of holding a paint brush. I couldn’t get my mind off it. So I decided to do something about it.”

McChesney began painting wildlife and botanical subjects. She set an hour aside per day for herself to pursue the craft.

She has a husband and two active teenage children.

“Between work, being a mom, cooking dinner, running the kids to their activities ... It’s busy. I drive them somewhere every day. If I wanted to get back into art, I had to make the time.

“I was getting burned out sitting in front of a computer every day. I wanted to be an artist, so I took the plunge, went into business for myself.”

Since forming her own business, McChesney Arts LLC, McChesney has sold five or six paintings and more than 100 prints. She uses watercolors, pastels, oils and acrylics.

Her breakthrough came in 2025.

McChesney entered the Pennsylvania Game Commission Black Bear Contest — a painting competition — and won.

Her painting of a black bear, with a turtle in the picture, took 30 hours to complete.

“I wanted to capture the black bear’s personality in the painting,” McChesney said. “I challenge myself that way. I read about the contest in the Butler Eagle and decided to go for it.

“I used the money I won to create more working space in my home. I bought myself some good supplies, decided to seriously give this a go.”

Part of her focus in painting nature is “bringing awareness to endangered and threatened animals.”

She still goes to the parks and hikes with her son two or three days a week, gaining inspiration from those walks. Her husband, Benjamin, has studied cinema and minored in art history in college. He dabbles in woodworking as well.

“He’s not an artist, but he has an eye for it,” McChesney said. “He’s done some of the frames for my artwork, too.”

It can take her 25 hours or more to complete a painting, depending on the subject matter and detail. She said the time element varies that way.

“I’m a perfectionist,” McChesney admitted. “I won’t show a painting if I think it has any flaw at all.”

She’s done exhibitions at art galleries and set up a vendor cart at fairs and festivals to showcase her work.

Her display at the Cranberry Township building will open at 6 p.m. June 5 with refreshments and cookies available until 8 p.m. The gallery will be to the right of the building’s main entrance.

“It’s a lot of work to put on a show,” Bischak said. “The artist has to organize it, has to price everything. Shauna is a fairly new member and really wanted to do this and we always encourage enthusiasm like that.”

McChesney’s enthusiasm as an artist is keeping her busy.

She is creating a pastel work for the 2026-27 Game Commission Art Contest on shorebirds. She recently finished a painting of a bald eagle for a family honoring their son making Eagle Scout.

She will set up a display at Cranberry Community Days July 9 through 11 and is creating 24 mini artworks around the theme of water lilies for the Manos Gallery in New Kensington in September. McChesney assisted with the Community Meals Ministry 2026 Art Gala and volunteers annually with the Saxonburg Fine Arts Show each September.

She also participates each month at ShuBrew in Zelienople’s collaborative show with Bottlebrush Gallery.

“I want to give back. Painting helps me do that,” McChesney said.

In addition to being with the Cranberry Artists Network, McChesney has memberships with Women in the Arts Pittsburgh, Butler Institute of Youngstown, Associated Artists of Butler County and the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation.