He painted constantly. Oil, mostly. Star patterns, the moon, aliens, superheroes in space suits, dots and circles, the ocean, animals, nudes.

The UFOs came from his father, who took him to obscure sci-fi films in Berkeley. Amelia's words: “Shawn ate it up.”

About his art teacher, Katie Harper, he said she really taught him how to see.

He called it Barney Art. His motto for it: “anyone can do it!”