Susan Fahrni emerges from the Columbia Valley: Turtle Tales

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’.

Monday, July 7, 2014

Turtle Tales

12 x12 acrylic on canvas

This is the second painting I completed to donate to Pynelogs for their fundraising efforts at their 100th Birthday Gala. I had so much fun working on these little guys! I'm even thinking of doing another turtle one on a smaller canvas.

I love turtles. They have such an ageless aura to them. Every time I visit Pynelogs I scan Dorothy Lake for a glimpse of them. For me they are an integral part of the Pynelogs experience.

It seemed like the perfect image to capture as belief has it that the Painted Turtle is able to teach you the power and use of colour. I like the way they seem to enjoy each other while getting some “r and r” in the Sun.

The delicate stripes of cadmium yellow on the turtles’ outstretched necks and the pyrrole red of the undershell are highlighted by the ebony background. The use of black canvas is a departure for me. It is a great backdrop for adding dramatic emphasis to a subject matter.

Susan Fahrni emerges from the Columbia Valley

Contributors

Artist Statement

Art Galleries in the Columbia Valley

Purchasing

Monday, July 7, 2014

Turtle Tales

No comments:

Followers