Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 38 i Create! Magazine

Dear Reader, No matter where you live or where you're from, summer brings back specific memories. It has its own pace, its own vibe and often its own playlist. For many, it means getting some much-needed time in the sun, while for others it means finally having a moment to relax. In this issue, we are exploring all things summer through the lens of art. Think vivid, bright colors and beachside scenes; think frozen yogurt stands and cityscapes at dusk. The artists in this issue are bringing us long, endless days, warm ocean waves and plenty of summer joy—and we are here for it. In these pages, Ekaterina Popova interviews Billie Rae Busby and Victoria Kukla, who both use bold color and graphic shapes to render gorgeous nature scenes and…

INTERVIEW WITH CYRAH DARDAS In their practice, Cyrah Dardas engages with their community as a learner, a friend, an educator, a cultural organizer, a curator and, of course, as an artist. Their approach to art making is woven into their dedication to connection and care, using their art as a vehicle for creating meaningful and powerful collaborations with not only the people around them, but also the environment. With interdependency being an aim in Cyrah's practice, they see their art as a collaboration between themself and the earth, as they carefully and mindfully source and create natural materials like botanical inks and earth pigments for use in their work. In Cyrah's fiber art, they address the “ecofeminist parallels in the treatment of femmes and gender-expansive folks, and the mistreatment of…

TJ WALSH, MA LPC CCTP CLINI-COACH® Let me tell you something that took me a long time to realize. When it comes to being an artist, there is no one-size-fits-all definition of success. Success isn't a destination to which you arrive. Instead, success is personal, unique and subjective. It's all your own, and defining it for yourself is a super important step toward achieving the goals you have for yourself and your career. I'd be lying if I said it was easy not to get caught up in measuring your success against other artists, but the reality is, friend, that it's counterproductive to your growth and progress. It's distracting, deflating and, simply put, a waste of time and energy. Instead, I want to encourage you to focus on understanding your…

Website: www.augustinadroze.com ARTIST STATEMENT American artist Augustina Droze (born 1981) interrogates the interaction of humans and the natural world through colorful and rhythmic imagery. Her work engages the viewer through multiple modes of discourse around this central theme. Man is depicted as the manipulator of the natural world, modeling natural forms into intricate brocade patterns, mandala formations, and repetitive arrangements. In swirling, dream-like paintings, geographic regions are conceptually mapped using invasive species that have critically altered and endangered the terrain. Inspired by her life in China as an expat, select zodiac animals are presented in hybridized forms, reflecting the optimal levels of reverence and beauty through the human lens. While initially colorful and decorative on the surface, Droze's work tells a more complicated story upon closer inspection. Her work has…

What initially compelled you to pursue art? My origin story is unusual, having been introduced to sewing through my children's participation in a traditional Native American ceremony. As a non-Native woman, it was the only way I could contribute to this incredibly important spiritual event in my child's life, so I poured everything I had into those offerings. Being a creative person, I didn't make traditional block quilts. Instead, my blankets pictorially depicted the Native American names gifted to my children when they were born. These blankets were a requirement for the ceremony, so I taught myself how to sew. Many textile artists use the label “self-taught,” but I had no mentor, didn't learn from magazines or tutorials, nor attended YouTube University. Instead, I experimented with fabric, thread, and a…

Website: www.deigodelarosa.com Diego de la Rosa is a fine artist born in Venezuela who is currently living and working in Toronto. He graduated from OCAD University in 2015 with a bachelor of fine arts degree in drawing and painting. His work has been shown in Canada, the United States and Venezuela and has been included in the Mercedes-Benz Private Collection. In 2021, he was one of the selected artists in the publication “Tomorrow's Talent” by Booooooom. ARTIST STATEMENT Diego de la Rosa's work explores the cultural impact of the social crisis in his native country, and relies on symbolism to explore the ideas and sentiments born from this reality. His process involves the collection of found imagery of people and places from Venezuela that are then rearranged into painted narratives…

What initially compelled you to pursue art? I've been making things for as long as I can remember, and it's always brought me joy. I can't imagine a life without a studio practice, and surrounded myself with people who respect that. Some of them understand the importance of art making because they are creative folks themselves, but other people recognize that I am a happier, more pleasant and fulfilled human being when I spend time in the studio. Who or what in your life influences your practice the most? When people say, “Oh, your work must be inspired by van Gogh,” I tend to explain that we don't teach people the language for talking about art. Generally, people have a favorite band or a favorite type of music, but even…

Website: www.paintingsbyjacquelinekottwolle.com Jacqueline Kott-Wolle (b.1969) lives in Highland Park, IL, where she paints full time. In 2005, after moving to Chicago from Toronto with her family, Jacqueline fulfilled a long-time goal of developing her painting skills by studying at The Art Center Highland Park. Using a fresh palette of color, Kott-Wolle currently paints in oils and focuses on capturing precious moments with her family and friends. Her most recent project, entitled “Growing Up Jewish—Art and Storytelling,” is a series of 40 contemporary oil paintings and personal narratives exploring her North American brand of Jewish identity and how it evolved through five generations of her family. Jacqueline's work has been exhibited in both group and solo exhibitions and her paintings are in private collections throughout the United States, Canada, South Africa…

Website: www.jessicaalazrakiart.com Originally from Mexico City, Jessica Alazraki is based in New York City. Her oil paintings are a celebration of Latinx life in the U.S. and aim to highlight family values. Narratives are scenes of ordinary life. Bright colors and decorative patterns are very characteristic of Jessica's work. Interview with Jessica Alazraki What initially compelled you to pursue art? I just fell in love with painting the second I tried it. I knew it was my calling and I would devote my life to it. This was later in life, after many years in advertising working as a creative in a few agencies that targeted to the U.S. Hispanic market. Who or what in your life influences your practice the most? Art history fascinates me, and I have admired…

Website: www.kamalnassif.com Kamal Nassif is a first-generation Lebanese queer artist based in New York. Her work has been shown at Project for Empty Space in Newark, We Buy Gold in Brooklyn and the Performing Garage in SoHo, and her design work has appeared in productions at BAM, New York Live Arts and the Arts Center at NYU Abu Dhabi. ARTIST STATEMENT My practice examines identity and shame as a reciprocating system. Rooted in the intersection of tradition, ritual and identity, my work uses formats and methodologies of the Levantine world to approach creative process. It expands notions of design to include architectures and objects that help locate oneself, from furniture and jewelry to abstract concepts and ideological frameworks. Communities and architectures of care are often located in object or performance:…

Website: www.melgausden.com Mel Gausden is an emerging artist whose work utilizes contemporary landscape painting as a means to explore personal and collective memory, as well as environmentalism, through the retelling of stories. The spaces within these narratives are woven together from memories of past events, emotions, photographs, and daydreams. Neon silhouettes and color schemes from social media and fashion trends reference pop culture and the way we filter our public personas. Her artistic process plays a significant role in shaping her work. Initially, she creates small watercolor compositional studies, which she then reverse engineers into larger pieces. This approach allows for ongoing intuition, abstraction, and experimentation in her final works. Mel Gausden obtained her Bachelor of Arts degree from the Ontario College of Art and Design in 2009. In 2016,…

Website: www.mollymansfield.com ARTIST STATEMENT I am an Austin, Texas-based artist exploring the spaces we inhabit and our relationship to them. My process is intuitive, and I frequently paint from both life and memory. I paint wet-in-wet, laying down gestural brushstrokes, often leaving areas more developed than others. The unfinished quality of my paintings is a bit messy, rather like the journey that we are on as humans. My practice is one of observation, but also imagination. I paint primarily from life, using my experiences, surroundings and generational history as a starting point. My still lifes are often centered on the table—a gathering place. A place for connection, sharing and vulnerability. A place for belonging, but also becoming. I typically set them up using family heirlooms: dishes, vintage fabrics, half-finished quilts…

In this issue's article section, dive deep into a curated collection of interviews and essays that shine a spotlight on remarkable artists, designers, and coaches. Experience the vibrancy of summer as our writers take you on a journey—from the intricate topographical artistry of Costa Rica's Ale Rambar to the mesmerizing urban canvases of Emma Loizides. See how art meets nature in the work by Cyrah Dardas, and explore the intricate dance between art, mental well-being, and joy in conversation with Victoria Kukla. We're also thrilled to highlight the evocative feminine work crafted by Megan Ellen MacDonald and the vibrant portraits by Gherdai Hassell. Wander through the abstract paintings full of emotion, memory, and landscapes with Billie Rae Busby, and gain a deeper understanding of the path to artistic fulfillment from…

INTERVIEW WITH BILLIE RAE BUSBY What do you feel when you look at the horizon? Does it make you feel contemplative as you look inward, or do you feel the sublime as you look outward? When looking at the paintings of artist Billie Rae Busby, this feeling is multiplied through her layered use of geometric lines and space. Each painting is a twist on the traditional landscape, abstracting land through bold color, horizontal lines and crips edges. The artist paints snapshots of land that she then slowly transforms into a new world—bright and open for you to enter. More than depicting a specific place, Busby aims to capture a mood, to conjure a gentle memory that is soft and hazy in the edges of our mind. In this interview, Busby…

Website: www.alexandriadeters.com Alexandria Deters (b. 1992) is a Bronx, New York-based artist, writer, archivist, and fine art appraiser. In 2016, she graduated with her MA in American fine and decorative art from Sotheby's Institute of Art, NY. She first began her embroidery practice in 2010 at San Francisco State University, where she received her BA in art history and women's and gender studies (2015). In 2021, she completed the Comprehensive Appraisal Studies Program (CASP) at the Appraisers Association of America (AAA), NY, and is a recognized Associate Candidate of the AAA. She recently was a Summer Artist Resident at Wassaic Project (Wassaic, NY) in July 2023. Last year, she had her first and second solo exhibitions: “Prophet of the Month,” The Locker Room, Brooklyn, NY (2022), and “Gonzalez: ‘Yes, dear,…

Website: www.steeleartist.com Ben Steele is an artist, educator and community organizer living in Atlanta, GA. He studied at Washington University in St. Louis, Yale University and Maryland Institute College of Art before moving to Atlanta to pursue a career in the arts. His oil paintings have been displayed at many galleries locally and nationally, in addition to the Museum of Contemporary Art of Georgia and the High Museum of Art. His recent oil painting series “The Shape of Things to Come” is inspired by futuristic architecture, special effects cinematography and the historical practice of landscape painting. Steele is co-founder of SeekATL, an artist studio visit group that meets monthly, with the goal of connecting Atlanta's artists, and also coordinates the Working Artist Project studio visits with MOCA GA. Steele is…

Website: www.bamtog.com Instagram: @bamtog Branden May was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia. At the age of 12 his dad introduced him to film photography. Inspired by photographers like Berenice Abbott, Gordon Parks, and Louis Mendes, Branden was drawn to street and architecture photography. When his son was diagnosed with autism, Branden left his job at a small tech company to take care of his son and pursue his photography career full time. Branden's work is unconventional, encompassing nearly every aspect of photography, but he gravitates to architecture. He doesn't follow the traditional composition rules of photography, such as the rule of thirds or rule of negative space. In his recent work, Branden studies and captures how buildings interact with people, other structures and, most importantly, light and shadows. In…

Website: www.douglasnewtonpaintings.com ARTIST STATEMENT My paintings are about color, reflections, texture, transparency, translucency, all the effects of light. Some of my paintings of candy wrappers, ribbons and colored tissue paper verge on abstraction, even though they started with careful observation. I paint from reality, not using photographs. I paint with oil paint on canvas, which has the flexibility to let me create what I want. Its slow drying time allows working back into it, wet-into-wet, my primary way of painting. I am influenced by Janet Fish and Wayne Thiebaud, among contemporaries and Spanish and Dutch artists of the 1700s. Other favorites are Chardin, Henri Fantin-Latour and Emil Carlsen. I have drawn and painted all my life. I'm very happy to be able to paint full time now. Interview with Douglas…

Website: www.feliciafeldmanfineart.com Felicia Feldman was born on November 1, 1984, in Daegu (formerly Taegu), South Korea. Felicia has a master's in fine arts (painting) from the New York Academy of Art and a Bachelor of Fine Arts (painting) from the Maryland Institute College of Art. During school, she completed a number of Independent studies and classes with renowned artists Odd Nerdrum, Steven Assael, Vincent Desiderio and Alan Feltus. She has taught at the Long Island Academy of Fine Art for 12 years. She also teaches at Rowayton Arts Center. She currently resides in Greenwich, CT. Recent shows include the following: • Mark Twain Library Show (1st place winner), Redding, CT • Faces and Figures 2022, Stamford, CT • Hues of Freedom, Lockwood-Mathews Mansion, Norwalk, CT • 2022 CWA National Juried…

Website: www.jelbertkarami.com I am Jelbert Karami. I was born in Tehran, Iran, in 1985. My love and passion for painting started at the age of 14 after seeing the beautiful paintings by one of the greatest Iranian poets and painters, Sohrab Sepehri, at the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art. I started learning painting, drawing and art history with masters in Tehran, mounting my first solo exhibition there in 2005. At the age of 20, I committed my life to art, starting to paint professionally, holding workshops in private clubs in the city. The challenges of being an artist in Iran include extreme censorship of subject matter, and while an artist can become well-known, there are always eyes on him or her. I had several solo and group exhibitions in Iran,…

Instagram: @jillbrinserfineart After 28 years of design and advertising, Jill Brinser seized an opportunity to reinvent herself as a contemporary acrylic painter. In 2019, she rekindled a long-ignored passion for fine art. Jill paints bold, larger-than-life realistic still lifes of relatable objects, highlighting their subtle beauty and quirks. A resident of Elizabethtown, PA, she keeps a running list of styles and subjects to explore. Jill holds a BFA from Tyler School of Art, Temple University, and she is a member of the Hershey Area Art Association and the National Oil & Acrylic Painters’ Society. “Billions of hidden gems are waiting to be discovered! Beauty is all around us, even in the inanimate. I'm fascinated by details that are overlooked—reflections, highlights and shadows, edges, and textures that reveal the idiosyncrasies of…

Instagram: @laraalcantara Lara Alcántara Lansberg has dedicated herself to creating authentic images that tell stories, with a focus on conceptual fine art. Alcántara's photography explores the innermost essence of life, from the malady to the absurdity, from the unrequited to the secret explorations of one's desire—good or bad. Her staged photography has elements of snapshot aesthetic, however, placement and condition of every item combined with her persona is curated to underscore a theme. Alcántara studied at Bard College and NYU, earning a Bachelor in Arts and completing a masters in fine art at Bard College/ International Center of Photography. She worked with photographers like Stephen Shore and Andres Serrano, and as assistant photo director at Condé Nast. During the pandemic Alcántara's work went viral and gave her the pivotal push…

Website: www.petrosc.com Instagram: @petroschrisostomou Petros Chrisostomou was born in London, 1981. He lives and works in New York. Currently he is a participant at Viafarini residency in Milan. Other residencies include the Anderson Ranch, Snowmass, CO; and ISCP International Studio and Curatorial Program, New York; as well as being one of the recipients of the Red Mansion Art Prize, where he worked for a concentrated period of time in Beijing. Recent exhibitions include “Notes from Nowhere,” The Gutstein Gallery, SCAD Museum, Savannah, GA (2019); “La Collection BIC,” Centquatre, Paris (2017); “Miscellaneous and Blended-Art from NYC,” Museo De Arte De Sinaloa, Mexico (2014); “Nirvana-Strange Forms of Pleasure,” MUDAC, Lausanne, Switzerland (2014); “Vertigo,” Galerie Xippas, Geneva, Switzerland (2013); “Ficciones International Biennial of Photography,” Uruguay (2011); “Plastic Lemons Spring Projects,” London (2011); “Fresh…

Website: www.simonaruscheva.com My name is Simona Ruscheva. I graduated in fine art painting in Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria. I am currently living and working in London, U.K. I had my first U.K. solo show, “Transitions,” in London, 2022, and my first international solo show, “The Source,” at Keep Contemporary Gallery in Santa Fe, New Mexico, in 2021. I have also participated in various international group shows and across London, including the Royal Institute of British Artists Annual Exhibition, where my work was Highly Commended by the de Laszlo Foundation, and the Society of Women Artists Annual Exhibition. I was longlisted in the Holly Bush Emerging Woman Painter Prize 2022 in the portraiture category. I was also shortlisted for the Kate Bryan Art Prize in July 2021 and for Artrooms Awards in…

INTERVIEW WITH ALE RAMBAR Let's start from the beginning! Can you share with our audience where you're from and how you initially became interested in art? I am originally from Limón, Costa Rica, and I have been interested in art for as long as I can remember. I was always drawing and creating things as a child, I remember spending my afternoons with my cousin Sergio drawing characters from the TV and creating sculptures with Play-Doh. That passion for art continued as I grew older. I always kept drawing as my main hobby and eventually pursued a degree in architecture, since I always saw it as an art form rather than a technical degree. My skills in architecture eventually became my tools to create art, and today I am dedicated…

INTERVIEW WITH MEGAN ELLEN MACDONALD The world Megan Ellen MacDonald paints is shiny, smooth, slick, and juicy. Her vibrant, unnatural hues compose seductive and irresistible compositions that feel so real, yet contain an air of simulation—as if we are looking at a theatrical set instead of a still life. Her paintings are not only hyperreal, they are hyper-femme. Bright, neon pinks and luscious magentas often dominate her still lives, which are filled with objects like flower petals, pearls, and snakes. The artist also includes classic symbolic still life elements that reference mortality, like fruit and skulls. However, for MacDonald, these paintings reference the avoidance of death by reflecting on mortality by way of the immortal—meaning, the objects in her paintings are fake. They have never existed in our world, only…

Discover our curated section juried by Maria Brito, the New York-based contemporary art advisor, entrepreneur, author, and curator. Her book “How Creativity Rules The World” achieved recognition at the International Book Awards and was selected by the prestigious Next Big Idea Club. As a curator, she has organized exhibitions and collaborated with renowned artists, while her influential work has graced the pages of major publications. Through her enlightening TEDx Talk on the future of art, Maria showcases her Harvard education and unwavering passion for creativity. Join us as she continues to shape the art world and inspire entrepreneurs through her transformative courses and online programs. www.mariabrito.com…

Anja Wülfing was born in 1969 in Cologne, Germany. She has the following educational and professional training: Technical college for design (in Cologne), completion of technical diploma; apprenticeship in the K + K advertising agency, Photographer Udo Klein in Cologne, completion apprenticeship certificate as communication designer; and studies at the Art Center College of Design Europe (La Tour-de-Peilz, Switzerland), communication design, bachelor of fine arts. After her training she worked as a communication designer in various advertising agencies. After a few years she became self-employed and founded the design company, Planet Pixel (now Weigelstein). Here she mainly did editorial and graphic design for the music and fashion industry. For a few years now she has shifted her focus to painting. Interview with Anja Wülfing What initially compelled you to pursue…

Website: www.blairtreuer.com ARTIST STATEMENT I am a textile artist from rural Minnesota—a storyteller painting with fabric and drawing with thread, who made an unusual entrance into this craft. My children's participation in an Ojibwe ceremony required me to make blankets for their spiritual offering. The only way I could contribute as a non-native woman, and the process was also very sacred for me. After a decade of creating blankets for private spiritual ceremonies, I transitioned. Still working with fiber, I now create portraits for public display. My first series, titled “Portraits: An Exploration in Identity,” depicts each of my nine children, my husband and myself, opens the door into our inner, interconnected lives, and sets the tone for my artistic practice. As an educator, culture-bearer, spiritual leader and activist for…

Website: www.erikastearly.com Instagram: @erika_stearly Erika Stearly makes paintings of the spaces where people live. Inspired by vintage home remodeling magazines, real estate listings and friends’ houses, her paintings are documentary. They tell a story of everyday life. Using a combination of watercolor and acrylic paint, Stearly quickly sketches in the setting. Despite being loosely rendered, exaggerated and often brightly colored, the collection of domestic items depicted still manages to evoke the sense of a particular place. Stearly's paintings are often titled by street address or named after the people who live there. The fluidity between abstraction and representation creates a unique feeling of nostalgia. Her work has been featured in exhibitions around the country, including the Affordable Art Fair NYC, Superfine and a solo exhibition at the BoxHeart Gallery in…

Website: www.gracedoyle.art Grace Doyle (b. 1988) lives and works in Baltimore, MD. She earned her MFA from Towson University in 2023, her MBA from the University of Baltimore in 2019, and her BFA from MICA in 2009. Doyle completed a residency in Norway with contemporary figurative painter Odd Nerdrum. In 2023, she was a finalist in both the Bethesda Painting Awards Competition and the Miami University Young Painters Competition. Doyle serves as the Treasurer on the Board of Directors at Hamilton Arts Collective, an artist-operated cooperative gallery in Northeast Baltimore City. ARTIST STATEMENT Through paint, I explore my friends and family in quiet, introspective moments. These compositions reveal a vulnerable side of the human experience that is only unveiled when people are not performing or fulfilling societal roles. I am…

Website: www.jenniferagricolamojica.com Jennifer Agricola Mojica is a contemporary painter, educator and mother based in San Antonio, Texas. Her paintings are influenced by the journey she has taken as both an artist and mother. Living in several cities during her formative years, adapting to new experiences at an early age and transitions through motherhood are suggested through her compositions. Agricola Mojica's work conveys shifting perspectives and figures, layers that conceal and reveal, monotonous repetition punctured by shapes and suggestions of a fragmented time and space. Agricola Mojica has exhibited nationally and internationally, including at the Royal Nebeker Art Gallery in Astoria, OR; Trisolini Gallery, Athens, OH; and the IF Gallery, Prague, Czech Republic. She has shown her work at numerous galleries in Texas, including 1906 Gallery, Joan Grona Gallery, Sala Diaz…

Website: www.julia-karl.com Instagram: @by.julia.karl Julia Karl is a painter living in London, U.K. Julia developed her passion for the arts in her early childhood and attended art classes throughout her school years. After earning her Bachelor of Arts in graphic arts at Buckinghamshire New University, she relocated to London to work as a graphic designer. In 2019 she decided to start a second career as a painter. Since then, she has exhibited her work in several group shows across the United Kingdom, including the Royal Institute of Watercolour Painters Annual Exhibition. Julia embraces mainly water-based mediums such as watercolours, gouache or ink. Her body of work reflects her day-to-day observation, as well as her experience and relationships with the people around her. Likewise, Julia explores elements of mental health and…

Instagram: @sachs_lisa Website: www.artworksbylisa.com Before becoming a resident of Santa Paula, Lisa spent most of her working career in Los Angeles after graduating from the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD). Born and raised outside of Boston, her family relocated to the city following four adventurous years abroad. While living in Paris and Geneva, she learned French and German, visited art museums, played “jeu de billes,” and indulged in crêpes suzette, escargots, and chocolate marmite. Her family later moved to Israel, where she learned Hebrew and Arabic and visited numerous archaeological and religious sites. Upon returning to the U.S. and attending high school, Lisa enrolled in RISD's painting program. At the time, she had no inkling she would switch her major to architecture. She has since led an illustrious career…

Website: www.miyaando.com Miya Ando is a Japanese/American artist based in New York. Her art is rooted in the dialectic coexistence of Eastern and Western cultures through the lens of natural phenomena. Her work is part of many public collections, such as: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, CA; Nassau County Museum of Art, NY; Corning Museum of Glass, NY; Detroit Institute of Arts, MI; Luftmuseum, Germany; Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art, AZ; Santa Barbara Museum of Art, CA; the Museum of Art and History, Lancaster, CA; as well as in numerous private collections. Solo exhibitions of her work have been presented at the Bolinas Museum, CA; the Asia Society Museum, TX; the Noguchi Museum, NY; Savannah College of Art and Design Museum, GA; the Nassau County Museum, NY; and the…

Instagram: @low.rez Reza Sedghi, born in Tehran, Iran, in 1993, is a professional digital artist and sculptor. He began his career in the animation and 3D printing industry as a digital sculptor and 3D character artist and has since expanded into sculpting. His sculptures are mainly sculpted out of stone, with CNC technology and hand sculpting, and he also experiments on sculpting with natural ingredients such as fungi. His work focuses on themes such as degeneration of human thought, humanity and the pressing social issues of our time. Reza's work invites us to explore the complexities of the human experience, and to question the world around us. ARTIST STATEMENT In the ancient world, mythology served as a guidepost to humanity, leading us down the path of ethics and morality. These…

Website: www.suzibalamaciart.com Suzi Balamaci is an artist, living and painting in the Washington, DC area. Her journey began at the art table in her earliest memories and progressed through years of private instruction, including classes at Corcoran School of the Arts & Design. Her path continued to the University of Maryland, earning a BA in studio art. When she lived in Dallas, TX, she studied encaustic and oil painting at Southern Methodist University. Her art studies eventually lead her to her completion of the three-year Master Artist Program at The Compass Atelier in Rockville, MD. Suzi's view of the world has informed her art at every stage of life. Capturing the essence of this viewpoint in her work is at the heart of her inspiration. ARTIST STATEMENT There is so…