Wow! What a busy two weeks! My “Painting with Paper” workshop ended yesterday afternoon. All students walked away with at least 4 completed projects and, more importantly,  an expanded view of art process and appreciation. The class was M-Th from 9-4. Whew- that is one long class- 7 hours per day. Students arrived early, worked through lunch and wanted to stay after 4. This instructor is tired! Students consisted of teachers receiving grad credit, undergrads and non-credit adults. It was a diverse group who bonded quickly during conversations while working. All but 1 had no art experience prior to this class. Comments I overheard ranged from, “I never thought I could do this!” to “Maybe I should minor in art.” One young man started the first day by saying he did not belong in the class as he had no art knowledge, experience or interest. By day three he shared that he was awake in the night wondering about the color yellow and why it’s vibrancy is so close to white and how to use it in his work. I think we lit a creative fire deep inside of these unsuspecting students. My job is now complete, at least, for now. I am happy to announce that I will be back at Xavier teaching a class fall semester! The Art Experience- an appreciation class for non-art majors to fulfill an art requirement. Bring it on! Here are some photos from the class, projects and random shots…. enjoy.

We had a great turn out and a festive night at Caza for the opening of “Face the Sun” with Mark Weisner. If you were unable to attend, the show remains in place through May 30. It was the first time I showed my “new” repurposed furniture and vases. They were a hit! (so were my cookies!)

Here are a few photos of the opening.

You have heard me discuss the paintings I created for Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. Yesterday it was my honor to see the first of these recent pieces -a 15′ mural entitled “Global Rivers” -installed in Concourse A. So much love went into its creation that after it was delivered I felt a part of me was missing. Each canvas is 48″ x 60″ and each one represents one of the 3 largest rivers in the world- The Nile, the Yangtze, and the Amazon. There are many hidden “seek and find” images of indigenous birds, animals, and people. If you happen to find yourself by the elevators on the main floor Concourse A, and I hope you aren’t for a scary reason, check it out. Part 2 of my installation is coming soon. Thank you, Kolar Design for letting me know it is installed and also for your confidence in me. I could not be more privileged to work for CCHMC. Thanks, Donna Hammond for accompanying me today. I should have dressed up. PS- I made the large hippo long before Fiona mania hit Cincinnati. Just sayin… And, sorry about the glare. They are framed under plexi.

It’s my pleasure to announce that my work is now available at the Ann Arbor Art Center on a permanent basis! The gallery is a wonderful space with very good art on display. In the spring, after the snow melts, I will add to the few remaining pieces left after the holiday show. Road trip anyone?

“We travel not to escape life, but for life not to escape us.” – Anonymous

2017 was all about travel for me. It wasn’t a conscious decision to leave the studio; it was a decision to say yes to any and every opportunity to go places and see things that are new to me. The song lyric, “When was the last time you did something for the first time?”  (Darius Rucker) inspired me to be more adventurous. I am not getting any younger….yet another birthday in two days. So, I visited Florida, Colorado, Michigan, Massachusetts, South and North Carolina and back to Colorado- all in about 6 months. I have seen some awe-inspiring places that will fuel new artwork during the long cold winter ahead. Please enjoy with me some of the 3,000 photos I’ve taken during my travels. Enjoy.

Something new for this Buckeye artist. My work is now available at the Ann Arbor Art Center! I applied to show in their Holiday Showcase and was accepted! Yesterday I drove to Ann Arbor (and back) to deliver 16 pieces to the gallery space. It’s a 3-floor building right in the heart of the retail area of the town. It’s just down the street from loads of coffee shops, restaurants, and even a Cherry Republic. I was impressed by the quality of the work in the gallery. There is a second-floor gallery space and the third floor is dedicated to classrooms. I would love to teach my workshop there next summer. We will see what develops.

Yesterday was my first time in Ann Arbor. I have heard about the “big house” all of my life. After I dropped off my work, I could not resist driving the few blocks to Michigan Stadium. Being a Sunday, it was empty. That was probably good for me as I was attired in scarlet and gray. Impromptu OH followed… you get the idea. Stay tuned as I think there will be more to this story.

Here are a few photos from the opening at Xavier. It is a stunning show and will remain in place through Oct. 27th. The gallery hours are Monday-Friday from 10-4. I hope you will stop by to see my latest work!

My long anticipated exhibition at Xavier University Art Gallery is almost here. Frank Satogata, Ian Ross and I have been planning this exhibit for a year and a half. The opening is September 28th from 5-7PM. Please consider attending. Here is the original proposal that we submitted to the gallery director in our application materials.

“Blooming” is a collaborative art exhibition showcasing the floral work of Frank Satogata, Ian Ross and Susan Mahan. Satogata is a painter who specializes in subjects of natural origin, typically landscapes and florals. Ross is a photographer of floral still life. Mahan merges the two, creating mixed media paintings that embed floral photos into her paintings, which are typically garden scenes and floral still life. All three artists are known for their bold use of luminescent color. Strong compositions show the influence of the graphic design industry. Subjects range from still life to garden landscapes and the indication of actual subject matter ranges from very abstract to highly detailed.

It is of significance to note that all three artists are well-established artists and are technically classified as “seniors.” All have had successful careers in art-related fields different from their current work. Satogata was a graphic designer, Ross a painter, and Mahan a high school art teacher. Their wealth of individual experiences brings a level of maturity to the exhibition. All three artists have reinvented themselves along with their perspective of not only their work but their daily outlook. All three consider themselves fortunate to have the ability, at this stage of their lives, to be “late bloomers.” They all feel they have only just begun to hit their stride, they are, in fact, still “blooming.”

Workshop week in Columbus was WONDERFUL! The women in my class were attentive, inspired and such fun. It didn’t hurt that several are high school art teachers! In other words, we speak the same language. It was also fun to take a mini field trip to Art Access on Wednesday evening to see some of my new work. We had a great time and I could not be more grateful for the opportunity. Here are a few photos from the week.

When I retired from full time arts education in 2006 I wasn’t sure I would ever want to go back in the classroom again. How could I possible top my wonderful 25 years at Mariemont? Then, in 2012 an opportunity came my way- to be an Adjunct at Xavier University in the Art Department Saturday College. I seized it and loved every minute of it. I would do that again in a heart beat. Last October Todd Camp, the Associate Director of the Columbus Cultural Arts Center, called me and offered me another rare experience . He asked me to teach a 4 day workshop at their facility in Columbus. After a minute’s hesitation I said yes. In two short weeks this workshop will happen.

I have been very busy planning what to teach, how to teach it and how much I can jam in to 4 short days. It’s something I have not ever taught- my mixed media process. So, it’s taking a lot of planning. And it is causing me to examine my process with a magnifying glass. You see, I just do it, I have never really figured out a specific step by step procedure. Good teachers should analyze the information they plan to discuss and then give that information to students a bit at a time. With this in mind I have been back-tracking and trying to pinpoint what exactly my process is. Crazy, right?

This I know, I am looking forward to this entire experience and also spending time at this amazing facility. I visited for a day to see the place and fine tune my ideas with Todd a couple weeks ago. I was very impressed with the range of subjects that are taught in the building. Looms, jewelry equipment, kilns for clay, enameling, and a huge painting studio… all there. My home for the week will be in the painting studio. While I was visiting, Todd also generously invited us to the Patron Party held at CCAC last Friday evening. It was a huge party to thank the patrons of the center and a kickoff for the Columbus Arts Festival weekend. What a great party! We had a memorable evening sampling the food, meeting nice people and touring the building. Mark enjoyed seeing the building, a former Armory. The art festival was exceptional. We were surprised to see so many different artists other than those who regularly exhibit at  Summerfair. All in all it was a great night and worth the drive.

I will try to post photos and a description of what’s going on while I am in Columbus. It’s going to be such fun and something new for me. I am already getting requests for a workshop in Cincinnati so who knows, this teaching bug may get ahold of me again! Once a teacher, always a teacher.