About the Artist

Damon Bryan Shackelford earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in studio arts concentrating on both drawing and painting. He has been producing fine art, illustration, and graphic design for over twenty years. Working in all media and genres the Artist prefers acrylic landscape in the school of the Great American Impressionists. He has very recently had the opportunity to use his preference in the book publishing realm thanks to Twilight Times Books publisher, Lida Quillan. Two books, Awkward Grace and Hudson Lake, bear the Artist’s work on the cover. “I hope,” the Artist says “that I have been able to contribute to the publishers success with my work. I have an affinity for books and would love to see Twilight Times succeed wildly.”

Damon contributes to the sciences through chemistry (another degree he has earned) and is an inventor on over a dozen United States Patents in Polymer Science. With over ten years in the polymer field the Artist is pleased with his work so far. “Few have the opportunity to work in both the arts and sciences. I have been very blessed,” he reflects.

As a graduate of the Disney Management School, a former restaurant owner, a Sunday school teacher, and most recently an Officer Candidate in the United States Army, branched Field Artillery (the traditional branch of West Point Generals), Damon uses his collective and varying experiences to enhance his art. His eldest son also serves in the United States Army, and has jsut completed his first tour in Iraq as an Infantryman.

Damon will tell you that the most challenging role he has filled, to date, is that of father and husband. Of this he states plainly, “Being a decent husband and father is by far my most difficult and humbling undertaking.” With a son in the Army, a son in college, another son in high school participating in JROTC Air Force branch, and a daughter starting preschool, it is a good thing his wife has a Masters of Social Work degree. “My wife is the director of all of the social events, planning, and sanity,” he openly admits.

Delta Bravo Sierra and Cassidy House Gallery is the product of the Artist’s imagination. The gallery, in fact, it is a quaint home nestled in the foot hills of the Smokey Mountains of the Blue Ridge. The name is derived from a specific location made possible by two very dear friends who made their home available for the Artist’s family while he was away at Ft. Benning, Ga. Not enough could be said to express Damon’s gratitude for their gift of kindness.

Back home now, and settled in, Damon is ready to pursue new avenues with his areas of expertise and experience. His experiences translate into a depth and richness that clearly show in his love for his faith, his family, his service to this Country, and in his art.

Delta Bravo Sierra was inspired by Chris Muir’s “Day by Day” and is an expression of Damon’s quirky humor. The cartoon also happens to be an easy place to tell the many stories one hears while in the service. Funny how most of those stories begin with, “So there I was, …”

Enjoy!