Shea entered
San Francisco State University as a writing student in the early 1960s, but his major changed to photography after his first year of college.
In addition to his own work, Shea worked as a printer of photographs for artists including
Imogen Cunningham.[1]
Projects and collaborations
1973 Memorial Tribute to
Diane Arbus An exhibit at the
De Saisset Museum that included three of Shea's works following the death of his friend Arbus[2]
1975 Media Burn by
Ant Farm Shea's uncredited photographs of the event became part of a traveling exhibit.[5] A compilation of news clips about the event is presented by Mediaburn.org[6]
1983
The Maltese Falcon, by
Dashiell Hammett Reissued by Arion Publishers and illustrated with Shea's contemporary photographs of actual streets and buildings featured in the 1929 novel.[7]
Shea had been friends with comedian
Lenny Bruce and had photographed Bruce on more than one occasion.[8] One photograph taken in 1966 of Lenny and Kitty Bruce was used without attribution and without copyright notice by
Fantasy Records on the album,
Live at the Curran Theater, recorded in 1961 but not released until 1971. Shea discussed the violation with Fantasy representative
Ralph J. Gleason in 1972, but he did not seek a copyright remedy in court until 2002. At that time Shea's claim was dismissed after a successful
laches argument by Fantasy lawyers .[9]
^Albright, Thomas (1985). Art in the San Francisco Bay Area, 1945-1980: An Illustrated History. Oakland: University of California Press. p. 101.
ISBN9780520051935.
^"Exhibit: Ant Farm 1968 - 1978". Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive. University of California, Berkeley. January 21 – April 25, 2004. Archived from
the original on August 12, 2014. Retrieved August 10, 2014.