Shawn O'Hagan's grand passion is colour. The fibre artist and painter describes it as “the one thing I approach with complete confidence. I always seem to know what comes next, it is instinctual. It's as if I can smell or taste colour.” Indeed, O'Hagan's painted wood objects –mailboxes, birdhouses and containers – are covered in juicy colours that are good enough to eat. And her textile creations, one of a kind hooked mats and unorthodox children's clothes, also come from the same zesty palette.

Shawn's love of colour has led the Toronto-native down most of art's paths. First to art school – she holds a BFA from the University of Guelph (1974), a B.Ed. in Art Education from the University of Toronto (1975) and a MFA from the University of Waterloo (1995) – and then on to a career of more than 25 years as an art educator, painter and illustrator. She moved to Newfoundland in 1975 and makes her home in Corner Brook.

O'Hagan's functional art has been inspired by many things: living in the Greek islands, an interest in primitive and folk art and most recently Vietnamese Buddhism. She gathers and savours vintage objects – quilts, rugs, clothing and buttons – that inform the colour and patterns in her painting and become the raw materials for her “funky kid's clothes”. O'Hagan's clothing line for children (sized birth to toddlers) are both sewn and knit. A tiny cardigan might have a boxy shape in vivid, contrasting colours fastened with one knock-out vintage button. “Textiles let me explore texture: jersey, felted wool, revealing seams, layers of cloth and dangling threads interests me,” says O'Hagan.

Under the label “Island Sweet” Shawn O'Hagan also sells her hooked mats that range from palm-sized to large creations for the wall. They often combine borders and designs from different historical Newfoundland mats in an upbeat contemporary manner. A reproduction of O'Hagan's “Poppy” with its vibrant colours was chosen by the Lieutenant Governor to adorn Government House's 2005 Christmas greetings.

Image shown: "Four Primitive Fish" hooked mat, wool yarn, 61 x 61 cm (24 x 24")