Whimsical — Colorful — Sensual
Diverse professional and personal experiences and accomplishments empower my artwork, a distinct style and artistic vision emerging naturally. My history and tendencies as art therapist, writer, and educator have me combining new and old ways and ideas, while welcoming the discoveries (and gifts) spontaneity bestows.
A natural inclination to blend realism with whimsy makes viewers smile. Larger than life images lighten the mood. They also suggest fresh patterns and possiblities. Representational work usually involves personally familiar subject-matter like faces, flowers, food, and furry friends. Abstract work usually evolves from a penchant for doodling.
I prefer to create "series" and "multiples." In "series," individual pieces share the same theme or subject matter: they can join to form a new whole or can stand alone. In "multiples," each piece is an essential part of a larger whole, a single image spreading over all of them.
All my artwork, regardless of subject matter, style, or technique, tends to soothe, inspire, amuse, or appetize. Also, there's frequently a heart or two included somewhere. I usually paint from life and my preferred medium is oil on canvas or panel. Outside the studio, however, I'm very content with a hook and yarn, as this crocheted ensemble shows.
Originally, circumstances (trauma, loss, and relocation) led me to consider the familiar or meaningful from alternative viewpoints—an approach that's ongoing. I believe that when your world seems turned upside down, or you're not sure where you belong or are going, familiar images often provide comfort, new starting places, or a sense of hope. Noticing viewers' responses to my artwork, it's clear to me that what's familiar (comforting or hopeful) for one person can be for many.
Examples of my artwork and creative process are displayed in nine galleries. Galleries one to four are genre-specific: Abstract, Figurative, Representational, Small Works. Galleries five and six show formal and informal learning processes: Sketchbook and Snack Happy (from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston). Galleries seven, eight, and nine are exhibition-specific: Buon Appetito! (Florence Biennale), Organic Art (Toronto Art Expo), Animal Magic (The Artist Project, Chicago). Images are included in each gallery according to chronology and or theme, so as to help reveal evolutions in artistic subject matter, style, and technique.
Pansies, A Special Mention
PANSIES
Pretty, peaceful, and positive
Always Enchanting
New ideas in bloom
Season by season
Idyllic as daffodils
Eternal as roses
Sprinkled on salads—delicious
Pansies seem to be many people's favorite, and an early "trademark" of mine. Little did I know that how I first chose to paint them would become an identifiable style in later work, whatever the subject matter or media:
Background: No. It would only detract from what really matters, the flowers themselves. An all-over pattern.
Color: the colors of the flowers themselves: bold, bright, and contrasting.
Paint: Not too much, nor too little—as much as feels right.
Size: Magnification from life—more impactful and engaging.
Even after becoming a School of the Museum of Fine Arts (Boston) graduate, I feel that my process, direction, and techniques may be seen to be more in keeping with those of "outsider artists." Most of my works are straight from the heART, not greatly influenced by instruction or criticism. Encouragement, practice (lots of it!), and meeting artist peers have been more pivotal than anything else. Art School Confidential movie fans might agree!
Fresh projects and on-going work, created in a variety of media, can be viewed in a 
section. Some examples are included below.
©Susan R. Makin, 2009