Shawn O'Hagan's work is all about colour. Her distinctive style draws on representation, South American culture, a Greek colour palette, and images of the Newfoundland landscape; the influence of colour-field painters is also clearly evident.

Born in Toronto in 1950, O'Hagan's first career was as an illustrator, and she was nominated for a Governor General's award for book illustration in 1987. In the 1990s she earned Fine Arts degrees from the University of Guelph and the University of Waterloo. In 1995, after returning to Newfoundland (where she had settled in 1975), she extended her artistic focus to craft media. O'Hagan currently works in textiles-she knits, designs, and sews clothing, and hooks rugs-and paints on board and functional objects; her paintings on canvas are available through the Emma Butler Gallery.

Shawn O'Hagan's work has been shown in solo and group exhibitions, and is in both public and private collections. She lives and works in Corner Brook.