Caitlyn Shea is a Long Island artist that creates bold, colorful paintings; she is very passionate about producing large-scale public art murals to transform and celebrate communities. Shea is the Events and Media Director for Walt Whitman Birthplace in Huntington where she hosts virtual events featuring contemporary poetry readings and scholarly programs about Whitman’s legacy.

Caitlyn on Whitmanic Inspiration:
Whitman wanted to incorporate everything he saw into his poetry, I imagine him charismatically connecting to people while still taking time alone to zoom in on how something as small as a leaf of grass is connected to the stars on an atomic level – everything is part of a greater constellation and therefore contains multitudes. Within Whitman’s silhouette I used dandelions to represent Whitman’s mindful observations of life and death in his poetry, and incorporated the butterfly-shaped Easter greeting card Whitman propped on his finger in a photograph to symbolize his connection to nature.

Caitlyn Shea’s social media:
Instagram – @CaitlynArtist
Twitter: @CaitlynArtist
Facebook: @CaitlynSheaPainter