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Susan on the Rocks
Photograph courtesy of Paul George |
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When I painted my first self-portrait, the background sky ran down my face and I was
inconsolable. In the midst of my tears, my Kindergarten teacher showed me how to handle
neighboring wet paint. Then she asked me why I hadn’t just painted a ribbon of blue at
the top, like most children do. “Because,” I said, “the sky is blue all the way down
to the ground.” “Yes,” she answered, “but most five-year-olds don’t see that.”
As an art major in college, I was shown how to tone down vivid colors, obtain contrast
and mix warm blacks with complementary colors. Forty years later, I still don’t use
black out of the tube and I still learn something every time I paint.
Now and then I also teach some of what I’ve learned. I believe in the basics: that
strong drawing skills drive good painting, and inspiration is everywhere in humanity’s
relationship with nature. In the past twenty years, I discovered how watercolor’s
portability and unpredictability can produce evocative paintings on-site in new,
unusual settings. I gravitate to imagery that shows contrasts in its elements,
or a narrative in progress, or a mystery being revealed. My colors are chosen
to transmit sensory experiences to the viewer. My shapes are based in abstract
designs. When I paint, I try to translate the dialogue between the elements.
I’ve always been fascinated by that dance. It’s a rhythm that keeps on going,
and I keep trying to get it right. Sometimes I do.
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