Joseph Shannon was born in Lares, Puerto Rico. His mother was an artist, and oil painting was prevalent throughout his childhood, leading him to finish his first painting at the age of 8. Despite attending the Corcoran School of Art in Washington D.C. and the Temple School of Art in Tucson, he considers himself largely self-taught. Starting from 23, he worked at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History as an exhibition technician, spending his lunch hour at the national Gallery. He met Washington artists Peter DeAnna and Jack Boul, becoming mutually influential friends that led him to paint full time, periodically leaving the Smithsonian. He had his first museum one-person show at the Corcoran Gallery of Art in 1969. He showcased his work in mostly NYC and Washington venues, but there were other museums. He has continued to teach (the Corcoran, George Washington University & currently at the Maryland Institute in Baltimore), write review and articles for Art in America, Arts, Art News, the Washington Post, and the Washington Times in the last decade, and he almost always features a self-portrait in nude and often in a satirical fashion.
