Susan Coon

Being born and raised in the capital district, I have seen firsthand the migration of the small farms as suburbia sprawled. Some have evaporated, others have relocated to surrounding counties. Progress does not negate the necessity of farm to market, dependable food sources. Agricultural stewardship is important. Let's get this done!

Fine art for me started as a hobby. My regular occupational endeavor consisted of a workroom for decorating, upholstering and window treatments. That may be the reason that I am not comfortable with plein air and am mainly a studio artist. I worked on details for twenty-five years. 

I am particularly drawn to Richard Schmid, John McCartin, Albert Handell, Robert Hagan, Mark Boedges, Richard McKinley, and other representational artists. I find that their choice of color and how those colors react with each other visually create an emotion in itself. Over the years, I have taken instruction from local artists (three of whom were students of Gunter Korus), and workshops, etc. However, during the shutdown, we were all exposed to internet instruction, and for many of us, it opened new avenues. That gives us the opportunity to try new approaches, specifically for me, returning to transparent pigments to increase the depth of oils. And it's there that I remembered what drew me to oil painting in the first place. That layering of one transparent over the other to create the desired affect, and then the "punch line" of a well-placed opaque to draw your eye to the center of interest. If you can accomplish that, it's awesome!