About
Ailisha Shannon is an Irish/Dutch visual artist, illustrator, writer and educator based in Rotterdam. She creates and leads creative programmes, creative spaces and residencies that foster creative communities through art, curiosity, shared exploration and storytelling.
Teaching since 2009, Ailisha combines her artistic practice with extensive experience in creative direction, programme development and community building. Her work spans art schools and universities, independent workshops and larger initiatives, including her role as Creative and Project Director of EXHALE at TU Delft—a creative space geared towards rebuilding social and creative community following the COVID lockdowns. Across these settings, she develops inclusive and supportive spaces for creative learning, artist-led programmes and environments where people can experiment, find their voice, artistic rhythm and creative community.
Her own artwork draws on wild nature, folklore and mystery, seeking to capture the hidden, the lost and the unspoken. Working as a dark fantasy illustrator, she is also one half of the illustration duo Studio Duco, represented by IllustrationX. Her fascination with storytelling deeply informs her teaching, which brings together drawing, visual research and concept development.
Through her classes and programmes, Ailisha supports people in finding their artistic voice and confidence, providing students at all levels with the tools and skills they need to move their creative practice forward. She offers thoughtful guidance and access to a creative community that helps makers build a solid creative practice of their own.
“It’s all about storytelling. To me, there is truly nothing more powerful than telling a story in a voice of one's own.”
Career & Experience
Ailisha Shannon is an artist, illustrator, educator and creative strategist based in Rotterdam. Her work brings together artistic practice, education and community building, with a focus on creating supportive creative spaces where people can explore, develop their voice and find creative community.After graduating with honours in Fine Arts from HKU University of the Arts Utrecht in 2008, Ailisha developed her practice as a visual artist and began teaching art in secondary schools. In 2010, she founded Studio Kolectiv in Rotterdam, a drawing course studio, where she developed and taught drawing and concept development classes until 2025. Alongside her independent teaching, she has worked as a guest tutor with institutions including HKU, TU Delft and Het Nieuwe Instituut. Her artwork has been exhibited in Rotterdam and Antwerp, including at RAW Art Fair and in a solo exhibition at De Witte Slagerij and an exhibition in Shouwburg Leiden.
Her dark fantasy illustrations appear in Melissa K. Roehrich’s New York Times bestselling Legacy series, as well as in the deluxe editions of The Aesymarean Duet and The Esprithean Trilogy by Bree Grenwich and Parker Lennox, amongst others. She is one half of the illustration duo Studio Duco. Working entirely by hand with traditional dip pens, East Indian ink, and pencils.
Art, teaching & creative programmes
Since 2009, Ailisha has supported people at different stages of their creative development, from complete beginners to experienced makers, with a particular focus on those who want to take the next step in their creative practice. Her teaching combines drawing, visual research and storytelling with individual guidance, helping participants build skills, confidence and creative community, alongside a sustainable creative practice.
During the 2020 lockdowns, she brought her Drawing & Concept classes online, connecting participants across Europe. Discovering that online classes made it possible to reach a far more inclusive and diverse audience of makers. These classes developed into an ongoing creative community and remain an integral part of her work.
In 2021, she was invited to develop and teach an artist residency programme in London for Art for Guernsey, alongside artist Daniel Hosego. That year, she also developed The Winter Intensive: a 16-week programme guiding participants from visual research and personal exploration to a new body of work and a group exhibition in Rotterdam. The Winter Intensive has become her signature programme, growing each year and welcoming guest tutors from 2026 to enrich its artist-led approach.
Creative direction & social impact
Alongside her art and teaching, Ailisha has spent more than a decade helping organisations bring ideas to life through project leadership, brand strategy and creative direction. Her collaborations include TU Delft, Dutch Design Foundation, Studium Generale TU Delft, Studio LONK and Highlight Delft, among others.
Her particular focus is on social and cultural initiatives: helping organisations find the story at the heart of their work, communicate their purpose and invite people to help shape programmes and communities. From 2023 to early 2025, Ailisha was Creative and Project Director of EXHALE at TU Delft: a space where students could meet, make, move and find connection following the COVID lockdowns. Bringing together a social living room, creative studio and movement space across 550 m² on campus, EXHALE made room for shared exploration, with co-creation central to its approach. Ailisha led a team of 20 creative freelancers, overseeing the development and delivery of 627 events and activities across 36 weeks of programming.
The questions behind this work also run through her teaching: how do we help people feel welcome, supported and emboldened? How can we develop creative spaces and communities that foster personal growth, connection, confidence and creative practice? This experience informs her work with organisations seeking to make creativity, learning, co-creation and community more accessible, and to turn social ambitions into programmes people can actively take part in.
In 2026, Ailisha is bringing renewed focus to the roots of her practice: storytelling, illustration and creative community. Through her work with illustration studio Studio Duco and the development of her autumn and winter programmes, she continues to bring these interests together, building creative programmes and communities in the Netherlands, England and Ireland.