Growing up in the late 70’s and early 80’s, Shawn was an avid player of Dungeons and Dragons and a lover of all things fantasy. Throughout his life, Shawn's love of fantasy continued and manifested itself through the short stories and sketches he created that told tales of magical weapons and fantastical beasts. He carried that passion throughout his years of college after which he became a Mathematics professor, a career he held for the next 30 years.

Shawn retired from academia in 2021 and took up the pursuit of his lifelong desire to use his artistic abilities to create fantasy blades. The creation of each piece of Shawn's art begins with a story he writes describing the magical blade and the role it plays in a fantasy world or his creation. The story then comes to life through his etchings and artistic design of the blade.

Shawn learned the artistic etching of steel from a master in Ukraine, Kirill Runz, and taught himself additional skills to complete his pieces. Shawn has shown his work at several regional art fairs and fantasy festivals where he has received recognition as best mixed medium artist and best craftmanship. For two months in 2025 Shawn was honored to show his work alongside thirteen other fantasy artists at the Galleries at Moore in Philadelphia, PA for the exhibition, "Fantasy's Spell, The Art of Enchantment."