Susan Fahrni emerges from the Columbia Valley: Rebirth of a Painter

Artist Statement

I love nature and I love to try to capture it on canvas. Everything I paint means something special to me, whether it’s a scene I’ve tried to capture before it disappears, a view that holds special memories, or a glimpse of a part of our valley that I want to share with others who might not otherwise have access to it. The places I paint are real and as I paint I am ‘there’ be it perched on a mountain ridge, sitting by a lakeshore or standing upon a tussock of grass in the wetlands.
I generally work from photos, however, for me, capturing the images in paint on canvas gives them an importance, value, and even permanence that I feel photography can not.
I begin a piece by drawing key shapes on the canvas then washing a thin layer of paint on to block in the major features. I then start working from the background making my way forward envisioning what is behind and hidden by each slope, tree, etc. before I paint it. For me this working in layers gives each scene its veracity and depth.
Sunlight and its effects fascinate me. I have always admired the stained glass of medieval Europe and I love the way the sun illuminates it and shares the coloured glow with the world below. It is a man-made tribute to God and the world He created. However, His work cannot be surpassed as sunlight gives life and purpose to the colours of the real world giving them an “unearthly” glow.
When my work is going well, I feel a sense of awe and wonder and a thankfulness that I have been allowed to capture and recreate our beautiful world. Having said that, I am not certain how it happens and feel that I’ve been witness to magic as the work paints itself having merely allowed me to mix the colours and hold the paintbrush.
As I work, in my mind I see the birds and insects, feel the warmth of the sun, the caress of a breeze, and hear the rustle of leaves, the buzz of insects, the chirp and call of birds. I am transported to whatever scene I am trying to capture.
I have come to realize that my art represents who I am: passionate, realistic, yet orderly and a stickler for detail, and very ‘down-to-earth’.

Saturday, September 13, 2008

Rebirth of a Painter

Twenty-six years had elapsed since I'd first tried oils and another dozen since water colours. It was a chance passing of an art store on a mini vacation that sparked a renewed interest in painting. A starter set of acrylic paints, some inexpensive canvas boards, some inspiring photos from my daughter's travels, a few days of uninterupted alone time and I was off!

Suddenly, I was having fun painting. I could blend colours, correct things, and work as quickly or slowly as I wanted.

My daughter still displays the small painting of a backlit palm tree that I did those first few days. My second effort hangs in my son's living room. Next, my daughter brings me a seemingly gigantic canvas board with a request. Intimidated by the size initially, I got brave and decided to give it a try and now Hat Ton Sai hangs proudly in her home.