Susan Rudisill
My work begins with my experiences in nature, and I find it particularly absorbing to study familiar places, where I work or hike, through the changes of time and season. Ongoing observation and the process of drawing deepen my feeling for the subject. In addition, I study maps, wildflowers, geology, local history and lore to better understand the bones of the land, the textures and colors that enrich it. When I paint I’m interested in the interaction between different elements or energies. Edges, such as that where wilderness meets farmland, often provide a focal point. Then there is the all-encompassing relationship of people to their environment. How do we as humans shape the land, and how do our connections to the earth shape us? By painting fishermen in their river canyons, or artists and the landscapes before them what can I learn? How do the figures and ground relate, in terms of form and color? In terms of the story they tell? Since I was a teen, I’ve worked in the plein air tradition. My favorite medium is charcoal; I’ve worked in oil paint for years, and more recently acrylics and mixed media. A chunk of charcoal, a good drawing surface, and a fine day to walk about in this amazing world – for me, these ingredients add up to pure joy.
