Susan Cushing Art

VIVA at Holistic Health Center

2011-01-10T19:38:00.000-08:00

VIVA Gallery's traveling art show features over a dozen VIVA artists. During January and February you can enjoy the exhibit at the beautiful Holistic Health Center, 114 FS Drive, Suite A, in Viroqua.
The exhibit can be seen during office hours Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and on Fridays by chance as the office is open by appointment only on Fridays.
The show highlights small works of drawings and paintings in watercolor, colored pencil and oils as well as jewelry and paper art. You will recognize many local artists!

The Holistic Health Center welcomes you to stop by and view the exhibit.

Kickapoo Valley Reserve Art Share

2010-07-23T09:45:00.002-07:00

Remember to visit the Kickapoo Valley Reserve http://kvr.state.wi.us for our 'Student Art Share' opening August 28th.
The exhibit will present the work of students in the various art classes at the Reserve. From first sketch to finished and framed, a variety of styles, mediums and techniques will be on display. We hope to inspire you to try one of our classes and we want to share the fun of learning and playing with 'art'. Anyone can do it!
August 28th 1-3pm there will be a reception in the beautiful visitor center. The exhibit will be on display from August 28th to October 4th. See you there!

Old Prometheus Moth

2010-07-23T09:23:00.001-07:00

Finally finished! Colored pencil reverse grisaille method on colored paper.
This moth was resting on our screen door. The worn wings seem to tell of
a long life. She was identified as a female because her antennae are not
feathery; only male moths have feathery antennae. I was intrigued by the
combination of beautiful colors and patterns with the marks of wear and age.
She reminded me of an old oriental rug, still beautiful and maybe more so
because of the stories now a part of the pattern.

Banana Plant Leaves

2010-03-18T19:45:00.000-07:00

On a visit to Olbrich Gardens in Madison, the colors of the banana plant caught my attention. They had a rainbow of colors in each leaf. This is my first 'plein air' pastel.
Olbrich Gardens is one of the 10 best botanical gardens in the country! Well worth seeing at any time of year so if you haven't been there try to see it during the summer-and take your camera and/or paints!

Winter Moonrise

2010-02-19T10:40:00.000-08:00

Winter Moonrise - a clear night, fresh snow; a world of black and white. But, maybe not. It's long been an interest of mine to figure out what colors are in 'black' in different situations, especially when outside at night. It seems all the colors that are there during daylight are still there if you look long enough. This was a quick study on paper for a painting on sanded paper.

2009-10-24T23:00:00.000-07:00

While walking along Fish Creek, in the south part of Calgary, Alberta I found a dead bird. It had the most amazing webbed feet; unlike a duck, they were lobed and the a beautiful green and yellow color. The bird was a nondescript gray and unfortunately the head was missing so I was not able to identify the bird for some time. Coots are able to walk under water.

2009-10-24T22:59:00.000-07:00

2009-10-24T22:56:00.000-07:00

"Laetiporus sulphureus" was done from the same group of fungus as the pastel paintings depicted.
This drawing was done on black paper, which made getting the very bright, light colors a real challenge.

2009-10-24T22:53:00.000-07:00

2009-10-24T22:41:00.000-07:00

"Chicken of the Woods" was the first velour painting I've done. An interesting surface to work on, it seems to take pastel and arrange it on itself, almost as if it's moving the dust around after I apply it! The painting was done from a series of photos I took in the woods behind our barn, where an old log had suddenly sprouted dozens of brilliant orange and yellow fungus. The late afternoon sun made the colors intense. I ran to get the camera and got the pictures just as the sun went behind the hill. Later I made several drawings and paintings of these fungus on different papers.
Chicken of the Woods is supposed to be very delicious but they just don't look edible to me.

2009-10-24T22:39:00.000-07:00

2009-10-24T22:29:00.000-07:00

Warner Creek Icicles was done from several photos taken near my home on Warner Creek, near the Kickapoo Valley Reserve. Lots of small rock cliffs, hemlock groves and marshy areas make endless opportunities for painting landscapes around here. I had been visiting some of the local 'ice caves' and then noticed there were many ice formations along the creek. Though small, the icicles picked up colors from the rocks and the water repeated it back; harmonics of light. These formations changed daily and sometimes will get quite large if there is a seep in the rock that keeps the water flowing.

2009-10-24T22:20:00.000-07:00

Helena Marsh is a wetland area near the Wisconsin River. My father took us there fishing when I was a child. One day we were about to step out of the boat onto the shore, and almost stepped on a very, very large black snake. We made a very hasty retreat, which I never forgot. The water is deep and cold and some of the area was dug out for building the road and bridge decades ago.

One March morning the light caught the earliest hint of color in the trees; it was a simple scene of muted colors highlighted by the early morning sun. I left my camera on the side of the road after taking a picture and then becoming distracted by some birds. A man fishing there followed me as I drove away, until I stopped and he so kindly returned my camera.

2009-10-24T22:11:00.000-07:00

One of my earliest memories of wildflowers is of a whole hillside covered in wild crocuses or pasque flowers, near Mazomanie, Wisconsin. These paintings were from my memories of a beautiful prarie park on the north side of Calgary, Alberta called Nose Hill Park, which was the only other place I've seen acres of wild pasque flowers blooming. It was a big place; a wild prarie hill area that was covered with pasque flowers in the spring. I walked there year round, day and night. Calgary spread across the prarie to the south but there, a few minutes walk from the city streets the smell of prarie grass and the feel of the wind could be found.

2009-10-24T22:10:00.000-07:00

2009-10-24T22:08:00.000-07:00

2009-10-24T22:06:00.000-07:00

2009-10-24T22:01:00.000-07:00

2009-10-24T21:47:00.000-07:00

Drawing and painting make it possible for me to share a small part of the beauty and wonder I experience every day, living in the 'Driftless Area' of southwest Wisconsin. Many people can't be where the crane is wading or the pasque flowers are blooming; by creating an image of the experiences I have had, these daily miracles can be shared with everyone who could not be there in the field or wood with me.

I draw to share and foster the connection every human being has with the natural world we are part of. I draw to say thank you for the privilege of being present as the miracles of life unfold.

From my first discovery of colored chalk and crayons, I have been drawing. After a brief career as a childhood artist exhibiting at county fairs and school events, other interests distracted me for many years. But once in a while a friend's request for a wedding invitation or a graphic design an employer needed captured my interest and a few sketches were made.

I have no formal art training but have recently begun seeking out artists whose teaching interests me. The pure colors of pastels and the possibilities of clear, precise detail with pencil and pen and ink intrigue me. A simple line in ink or pencil can tell a whole story; so I continue to explore what these very basic tools can do when put to paper with the magic of imagination.

I invite you to enjoy the process with me!