We had the good fortune of connecting with Shane Rodriguez and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Shane, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
I had grown up in deep, dark East Texas and I did’t want to work in the oilfield. I wanted something more for myself. I like putting pencil to paper to begin figuring things out. I also love disccusing ideas and collaborating with other creatives. I find that to be increadibly energizing.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I have a background in commercial illustration but my field of expertise is horror art. I find things in life that always gave me some sort of axiety and I deal with it by expressing it as an image. Lately, I’ve expanded this into writing a play and painting and drawing illustrations and designs to support that. I draw first in my sketch book, if a particular idea, character, or concept intrgues me, I explore further. This is what led me to work on my current project and I personally think the theater going audience in Denver would be extremely receptive to it. There are always challenges but if you trust yourself and let good people do good things for you, although outcomes can’t be predicted, the difficulties can be delt with successfully.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Denver is very dear to my heart. I know it’s a stock answer but it is. I could be really show off-ie, and say visit the Denver Art Museum or catch a show at the Denver Center for the Perfoming Arts and I totally would because I love those institutions. But, what I would like to do is take a friend and grab a coffee and wander aimlessly just to see what’s what. Nothing pre-planned, just adventure.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would absloutely love to give an incredible amount of thanks to Rhea Amos, artist director of the Pandemic Collective, Tami Cananday, Ellen K. Graham, and Lisa Wagner Erickson, playwrights and their organization Theater 29 Denver, last but not least my brother, Trinity Zook, AKA The Super Absurdist, and his horror narration YouTube Channel. Their trust in my work and continued support encorages me to be more daring and expand what I’m doing.

Youtube: https://youtube.com/@shanerodriguezart?si=OyBrzIdew29r0H53

Image Credits
Shane Rodriguez

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutColorado is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.