Submitted by the artist
Susan Bolen
Sierra Art Trails 2013 Catalog # 59
It’s all about the color.
I have been creating art for as long as I can remember, and stopped only as an adult when I was traveling cross country by bus and train, working in factories and hotels and trying to make a living.
Since 2000 when I lived in Yosemite National Park, and later, in the small town of El Portal located on the Park boundary, I have been fortunate to work almost full time in artistic endeavor.
Previously, I had only been interested in surrealism, expressionism, and various other isms, and had no experience in painting landscapes.
I bought an easel and began working, starting paintings outside and finishing them in the studio. For one year I worked exclusively in pastels, a medium completely new to me at the time.
In the past decade I have become used to painting landscapes in acrylic, appreciating the possibilities for abstraction and vivid and compelling color combinations.
All my outside scenes seem to form themselves out of geometric shapes and have a distinct look that I have seen no where else. It just happens; I keep working until I am satisfied.
In addition to these earth portraits, I have gone back to my original interest in creating surreal, symbolic, intuitive images. My methodology consists of reviewing books on mythology, psychology (Jungian), heraldry, alchemy, symbolism, illuminated manuscripts and the history of the Middle Ages, history in general, art and current art magazines, prehistoric a
rt and cultural traditions.
I make notes and have several note books of ideas spanning over 7 years. Sometimes I will use an image as originally encountered, but I often create my own interpretation and synthesis with other images.
I am fascinated by the traditions, festivals and rituals associated with the wheel of the year, the changing seasons, and the moments of transition when the veil between the worlds is thin.
My goal is to create great art imbued with the themes of transformation, regeneration, and renewal.
I am represented by Williams Gallery West, Oakhurst, CA.
Visit Susan’s website
Click on images to enlarge.
For more features and artists profiles on Sierra Art Trails go to SNO’s special section
Sierra Art Trails Open Studio Tour is October 4, 5 and 6, 2013.
