Susan Klinger

Could a portrait drawing be my ticket out of the artistic doldrums? Getting back to basics was exactly what I needed!

Sometimes life throws you a curveball. Or two. How my art process served as my life preserver during a difficult turn of events.

Titles. Every painting should have one. It can help the viewer connect with the image. Some titles come easily. I occasionally know the title before the painting is off the easel. On rare occasions, I know the the title before the first pastel stroke hits the surface. But there are times when an interesting title for a newly completed painting seems elusive. I have written recently about my series of sky paintings. Many are of sunset or sunrise. I have attempted to be

I was interviewed recently for an article and one of the questions I was asked was, how did I make the transition from watercolor to pastel? To provide some background, I began my pursuit of being a professional artist by painting in watercolor. My road to painting in watercolor is an entirely different story, so for now let’s just acknowledge the fact that I was a watercolor artist for many years. As part of my graduate level studies required for my job as a high school art

It’s funny how motivation can strike, run hot, and then…it’s gone. This happens more times than I like to admit when it comes to my painting. I see a specific scene. I may take a photo. Or I may get the idea for a concept – perhaps an idea for a series of works with no particular image in mind. The idea may roll around in my head for a while. At some point, I begin to get a strong urge that this is what I need to be working on next. I do some preliminary sketches to flesh

Many years ago, while framing work for a show, my husband requested I not sell my pastel, “New Day Dawning – Sunrise over the Sea of Abaco”. At the time, I did not ask why. I was just so touched that he liked this piece enough to ask me not to sell it. I must note that my better half is the technical one in the family, not the appreciator of art, so this request meant a lot to me. It was just recently that he shared with me what it is about that piece that brings him joy.

I read an article recently about the importance of stories. It made me wonder if it was important to share the stories of my paintings with my viewers. So, for this week's blog I am sharing the story of my Deep Blue series of paintings. The series was spawned by a trip to the Abacos in the Bahamas. It was a vacation I had eagerly anticipated – my first time to anything Bahamas - and the week flew by. The entire trip, I was awestruck by the colors, especially of the water. As