Tuesday, December 13, 2011


Sending You Wishes 

for 
A Delightful, Creative, Expansive and Deep Holiday Season.   

This is a special time of year 
when the deep dark of night
 is 
punctuated by the twinkling lights of celebration.  

May you be filled with joy and delight.  
Happy Holidays! 

Merry Christmas!  

Happy Hanukkah!  

Happy Kawanzaa!  

Happy New Year!

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

2011 Longmont Studio Tour

For those of you who couldn't make it to my studio during the Longmont Studio Tour, here are photos of my studio all dressed up as a gallery instead of a working studio!

It was a beautiful weekend and I could keep my studio door open the entire time.

As you walked through the door on the right you saw this part of my studio.
On my easel is "Sun Dog Clouds"
with "Colorado Clouds" on the wall behind (top) and
"Sky Raga Reverie" (below).
On the floor is my eight foot painting, "Sky Raga #1 & #2".
It's on the floor because I don't have an eight foot wall in the studio
to hang it on.

Directly across from the door to my studio, I displayed my selection
of latest work from the summer.  Many are plein air work that I
created on location in Boulder County.
(Top)  "Cloud Pirouettes"
(Second Row, left to right) "Seaside Reverie", "Walden Pond", "Rocky View"
(Third Row, left side) "Spring Green" (Top) & "Cloud Reverie" (Bottom)
"Mellow Marsh" (Middle)
(Third Row, right side)  "Waiting for Godot" (Top) and "Bike Night Full Moon" (Bottom)
(Fourth Row or Bottom Row)  "Cape Cod" (in black and white)
I guess I should have made the rows straight.
One painting is missing.  I sold it!

I also had cards,  prints (framed and unframed) and my new 2012 Calendar  for sale.


Sunday, September 4, 2011

Preview Exhibition for the 2011 Longmont Studio Tour

You are invited to join me
at the Artists Reception
on
Friday, September 9 from
6 - 9 pm
at
the Muse Gallery
356 Main Street
Longmont, CO.

I'm exhibiting my oil painting:
"Colorado Sunset"  (12" x 12")

You can purchase my painting and
pick up a map for the 2011 Longmont Studio Tour.
I'm number #42 on the tour.




The tour is the last weekend in September  (Sept 24 & 25), 11 am to 5 pm.

See you at the party!

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Studio Photos of 2011 Prospect Artists Studio Tour

For those of you who missed the 2011 Prospect Artists Studio Tour, here are photos of my studio turned into a "gallery" for the weekend event.  A thank you to all my friends and students who stopped by during the weekend.  Over a hundred people visited my studio.

On the left, a wall of framed prints of my "Cross" series.
On the right, a wall of miniature oil paintings.
On the table, more unframed prints of my work.

Here's a wall of my "blue" landscape paintings.
To the left, a wall of oil pastel landscape drawings.
On the easel, an unfinished oil painting.
This is the view as you walk through the door into my studio.
On the right, a selection of cards featuring my oil paintings and drawings.
On the back wall, (top), "Colorado Clouds" and (bottom)  "Sky Raga Reverie".


Standing in front of my wall of miniature oil paintings.

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

2011 Prospect Artists Studio Tour

The Prospect Artists Studio Tour begins on Saturday, June 25 through Sunday, June 26, Noon - 6pm.
I'm one of the participating artists.  I've turned my working studio into a gallery, displaying all my recent work, as well as cards and prints for sale.  Plan to stop by to see me!



Tuesday, May 17, 2011

"Sky Ragas" - Solo Exhibition at the Old Firehouse Gallery


Here are the photos of my solo show 
in the Members Gallery at the Old Firehouse Art Center in Longmont, Colorado.
The exhibition is on display until June 17.

Left:  Sky Raga Sunrise #2, 36" x 12"                              
Center:  Sky Raga #1 & #2, each 24" x 48"

Sky Raga Reverie,  36" x 36"

Top:  Colorado Clouds,  24" x 36"
Right:  Sky Raga Sunrise #1, 36" x 12"

Left:  Sky Raga Sunrise #1, 36" x 12"
Top Center:  Yugen, 24" x 72"

The Old Firehouse Art Center is open 
Tuesday-Friday, 11 am - 5 pm
Saturdays, 10 am to 2 pm

Old Firehouse Art Center, Fourth & Coffman, Longmont, CO
www.firehouseart.org


Here is the artist statement for the exhibition:

Golden sunlight skips along the clouds singing songs of joy and the blue sky delightfully embraces the dance. 

Within the three groupings of oil paintings, Suzanne shares her contemplation of clouds, sunlight and sky; and invites the viewer to look above the trees, around the corners of buildings and over the highways to the magnificent world above us.

“Raga” is a Sanskrit word implying “color, hue, beauty, melody”. In musical terms, it implies “a melodic framework for composition and improvisation”.   Suzanne’s golden clouds dance in the sky and sing songs of joy—a true raga.

Quentin Young, Longmont Times-Call , describes Suzanne’s work as, “The paintings sometimes have the look of a Rothko color field painting.  Suzanne’s goal is not to depict a scene.  It’s to depict her contemplation of a scene.”





Sky Ragas Solo Show at the Old Firehouse Gallery

I hung the show on Tuesday with the help of two friends, Annette Coleman and Mike Reynolds.  And, then, we went out to lunch!  Here are some photos of the process.

Annette Coleman (left) and I are making sure are measurements are right.
Behind us a triptych:  "Sky Raga Reverie"

Mike Reynolds (left) and I are making the final adjustment to the canvas placement.
Behind us a diptych:  "Sky Ragas"  
(See the post below for a complete photo of the painting.)


Gallery Manager, Paul Peacock, completing the final touches to the show.


I'm done.  Now off to lunch!
Behind me on the left:  "Sky Raga Sunrise #1"
(Number #2 is on another wall.)

Hope to see you are the opening on Friday, May 13, 2011 from 6 - 9 pm.
Old Firehouse Art Center, 667 Fourth Ave & Coffman, Longmont, CO 80501
(Just look for the original Longmont firehouse that has been converted to an art center.)
www.firehouseart.org




Friday, April 15, 2011

New Painting: "Sky Raga"

I am working on an eight foot painting and I thought I would share my process with you.

This painting, along with other paintings,
will be exhibited at a solo show at the Old Firehouse Gallery 
that opens on Friday, May 13, 2011.

This painting consists of two four foot canvases
that will be hung next to each other to make an eight foot painting.
There is a wall at the Old Firehouse Gallery that will accommodate a painting this long.
I decided to paint it on the two canvases so the final painting will fit into my Subaru or 
otherwise I would have to rent a truck to transport it to the gallery.

It's January 26, 2011
and after a few days of painting, here is the result of my first painting sessions 
where I am blocking in colors and establishing the compositional elements:




After a few more days of painting,
here is the result of my second painting sessions
where I am creating dark and light areas and
refining my composition:



Here is the results of my third painting sessions
where I am beginning to work in the details
after resolving the compositional elements:



This is my fourth painting session, where I am increasing the detail
and refining the colors.


This is my fifth painting session, where I am working out the details of the painting.
See the diagonal line of color that is moving from lower left to upper right.
That is my area of concentration for this session.
....There's still more to paint!



This is my sixth painting session.
Now I am beginning to fine tune the painting and work through to the final touches.
Defining areas, editing and coordinating the pallet is in process right now.
So there will be longer breaks between posting images, since it take a lot of "looking"
at the canvas and spending time with the work before I make changes.
And the changes from this point on will be minor but will affect the entire painting.
I would say that I am about 2/3 towards finishing.



Now I am in the process of fine tuning the painting.
This process takes longer than the initial first steps, since I spend a lot of time sitting 
looking at the painting and making small marks here and there.
Here I have refined the diagonal line of clouds and painted over the initial design
to create better "brush work" making the painting look more finished.
I also lighted up the left hand corner.  I was just too dark.
I'm almost to the finish.
It will just take a little more time and a lot of looking!


It's April 15, 2011 and I have finished the painting.
As you can see, I refined a few more details that 
unified the painting.

I am ready to exhibit it at the Old Firehouse Gallery, in Longmont, CO,
with an opening reception on Friday, May 13,  6 - 9 pm.
You are invited!

If you miss the opening party, the exhibition will be on display until June 4, 2011
(PS.  It's for sale!)




Thursday, February 17, 2011

Pecka Kucka Presentation

On Friday, February 11, 2011, I presented a talk on "Contemplative Art" 
at a Pecka Kucka event at the Old Firehouse Gallery in Longmont, CO.  
I had a great time, talking to a standing-room-only crowd at the gallery.
So what is a Pecka Kucka?    "Pecka Kucka" means "chit chat" in Japanese and it is a unique presentation format that has taken off around the world, as presenters delve into their personal lives to explore how they can creatively portray their passion about a subject in 20 images presented in 6 minutes and 40 seconds.  Longmont is one of 378 cities around the world participating in this event.
Of course, my subject was "Contemplative Art".  
And I was one of ten people who were the presenters at the first Longmont Pecka Kucka event.
Here are two photos:


Standing-Room-Only Crowd
Giving the Presentation


Here's the video from the event: