Shannon is a printmaker who favors monochromatic, formal abstractions. He also has a knack for responding intelligently to specific sites. For example, in 1996 he was selected to create a temporary installation for a small artist's space tucked next to a staircase in the lobby of the Portland Building. He covered the floor with carved wood blocks and hung wall-sized prints created from those blocks. Rough black lines pulsed on red and blue backgrounds, alluding to the movement of people up and down the stairs and through the lobby.
Saturation is also site-sensitive.
The format was inspired by the view from the six large, north-facing windows of Portland State University's Autzen Gallery. From the gallery's windows you can peer eye level at an outdoor pedestrian bridge that spans two of the university's modern buildings. Shannon's use of materials is even more site-specific. He created 22 relief blocks from discarded materials, both industrial and organic, that he gathered from Portland streets and dumpsters. He picked up most of these throwaways from the PSU campus, where he has worked as an instructor and a master printer.