“Outsider” artist Shawn Laswell left his mark on Waltham

Shawn Laswell believed “art is for everyone to look at,” said his mother, Donna Laswell. He meant this literally, painting murals on neglected fences and walls around the city. Going by the name Spectacle Spectacle, he hung his signature vinyl LP records, splattered in vivid colors, on utility poles all around Waltham, more than 2,000 of them over 15 years. Anyone walking by could enjoy them, and many did – some even taking the discs to decorate their homes. 

Beloved for his generosity and free spirit, Shawn died unexpectedly on July 24 at the age of 52. His passing prompted an outpouring of grief and tributes across the community. 

Waltham Mayor Jeanette A. McCarthy said she had known Shawn since he was a kid. “He had a tremendous talent and intellect, you know,” she said. “He’d sell his artwork out at the Concerts on the Common. He would go up to anyone and ask them, ‘Do you need anything to be done?’ – artistically – ‘I’d be happy to do it. You don’t have to charge me. I just want something to do.’ And that’s the type of soul he was.”

“Shawn always had his finger in the paint,” his mother recalled. An artist herself, Donna Laswell said her son was drawn from a young age to whatever she was working on. 

Mother and son bonded over art, often teaming up, their skills complementing each other. “I’m a realistic painter. Shawn was on the other end of the spectrum, very abstract.” When Donna created a mural for Pizzi’s Farm Store, Shawn worked on the base paint and hung the panel in the store. 

Perhaps the most visible work of the mother–son team are the murals on the walls of the long-closed Construction Site toy store on the 200 block of Moody Street. They decided to beautify the derelict building for the Riverfest in 2019. Shawn covered the walls with lemon yellow, then painted bold red, white and blue streaks across the yellow, like the tail of a patriotic comet. Donna painted the words “Watch City” adorned with a realistic Waltham watch. “Beautifying that wall – that put him in his happiest state,” she said.

McCarthy recalls Donna painting murals at the Plympton School with young Shawn helping out. The pair did “a lot for charity. If you needed an auction piece for a fundraiser, they just gave it to you,” McCarthy said. “They’re good souls.”

As he grew older, Shawn freely gave of his artistic talent. The family was deeply involved with St. Mary Parish. He restored the Stations of the Cross at Marist Missionary Sisters, donating the paint and his time. “It was like a meditation for him,” Donna said. “He loved it. He didn’t want to be paid but they insisted.”

On another occasion, Shawn restored a creche that had been recovered from the Cronin’s Department Store on Moody Street. Some of the figures were missing arms, which he carefully restored. To replace the halo missing from the baby Jesus, he repurposed an LP, painting it gold. The creche now occupies a special chamber in the Museum Room in the basement of City Hall.

Shawn had an impulse to make and share his art wherever he could. He collected abandoned furniture from sidewalks, splattered them with paint and gave them away. He found and painted old vinyl LPs before they fell into fashion again. Friends would bring him boxes of their old LPs to paint. When asked why he attached them to utility poles, he explained “I want people to look up.” 

In 2023, Shawn decided to paint a 400-foot fence along the walkway behind Guanachapi’s Bar & Grill on River Street. He painted a base coat and portions of the fence with his own art. He left other areas blank and invited local youths to add their own paintings.

Shawn was the quintessential “outsider artist” who worked outside the art establishment, often not bothering to get official permission to make or display his work, his mother recalled with a laugh. He took inspiration from Vincent van Gogh and Jackson Pollock, she said. He liked to “make people laugh,” she added. “Like he would carry around these plastic fish and tell people to kiss the fish – silly stuff like that.”

Family members hope to gather and catalog his work. They would like to locate several notable paintings and vinyl discs whose whereabouts are unknown. Shawn left all of his artwork to his son Michael. “If he can’t house it all, he hopes to use it to benefit organizations that help people in need,” said Donna.

“Shawn wanted people to see color, not just black and white,” Donna said. “He never made art that was political, confrontational or inappropriate. He wanted his art to bring people together.”

Family and friends are invited to honor and remember Shawn Laswell by gathering for an evening wake in The Joyce Funeral Home, 245 Main St. (Route. 20), Waltham, on Friday, Aug. 15, from 4 to 7 p.m and again at 9 a.m. on Saturday morning. After Saturday’s wake, there will be a procession to Saint Mary’s Church, 133 School St., Waltham, where his funeral Mass will be celebrated at 10 a.m. Saturday. Burial will be in Mount Feake Cemetery, Waltham.

Some of Shawn Laswell’s work can be seen on his Facebook page.

Here is a list of Shawn’s contributions to Waltham, compiled by Donna.