Susan Fahrni emerges from the Columbia Valley: Tale of the Tour Chair Part 7

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’.

Friday, May 6, 2011

Tale of the Tour Chair Part 7

Day after day the artist continued to toil on the chair. Slowly, ever so slowly, the mountain and lake began to appear on the chair.

She had moved on to paint the seat of the chair, bringing to life the frigid alpine waters and large rocks. Soon it would be time to plant and grow the trees.

One day a message came from the gods of the Tour Committee. They requested,

"for you all to try to get the chairs done by May 16th."

"Oh no!" cried the artist. "How is it that the gods do not understand how long it takes to build a mountain, fill a lake, and grow trees? I shall never be able to get done in time! The chair shall not get the recognition it deserves. What shall I do? What shall I do?"

The artist once more picked up her brushes and set to work but as she worked, she fretted. Her hands became stiff and her back ached from leaning down to paint the seat of the chair.

Finally she put down her brush and sobbed. Her hands could no longer hold the brush steady and she could not think for the ache in her back extended up to her head.

As she sat rubbing her cramped hands and trying to stretch her unhappy back, a large sleek black cat suddenly appeared beside her.

"Do not fret, my dear. The gods have heard your tears. All will be well. Your work is wondrous and will be waited for."

With that the cat vanished as quickly as it appeared.

"Did I really see a cat and did it indeed speak to me?" the artist mused. "It must have been a messenger from the gods. Perhaps all will indeed be well."

She returned to her studio and propped the back of the chair upon the seat. Standing back to look, she marvelled, "Why look! The magic is beginning to happen."

Feeling much better, she set about washing her brushes and tidying up her paints. Tomorrow would be another day to paint.

(to be continued)