Shine Tani is a self-taught artist. Art was not taught in school but at home, his elder brothers did a lot of drawings and they influenced him much. As his parent were poor and could not afford to pay for his education, Tani had to drop out of school quite early. To eke out a living he joined an acrobatic group in the village, that had little returns, later, Tani became a street boy in the Nairobi city centre.

Years later, however, his life was to change. At that time he saw a painting by Ugandan Katongole Wasswa hanging on the walls of a gallery at Nairobi's Hilton Hotel that inspired him to be an artist.

His art is inspired by day to day life and personal experiences expressing his feelings through art. Shine is a founding member of Banana Hill Art Gallery.