Susan Hale

Artist's Statement

I have always loved to draw and paint. Living, vacationing, and traveling in the Wisconsin countryside is a constant inspiration to me. It seems everywhere I look I see a painting - sunrises on Lake Michigan, golden hay bales scattered in a field, popcorn clouds dancing in a pink sky. Color and pattern are important to me. I interpret onto
the canvas the energy and connection to nature I feel as I paint. As Van Gogh said, “...real artists paint things not as they are, in a dry analytical way, but as they feel them.” I work in oils and like to use a lot of paint. “Let the paint talk”, I often say. When I put the paint on thick and luscious, I liken it to frosting a cake. It is so much fun!.....and
so many colors to use!.....and it’s not fattening!

Color is magic to me. My paintings are known for my vibrant use of color and sense of optimism. I want to impart to the viewer the beauty and energy I feel and see as I witness nature and the landscape. I love to paint outdoors, “plein-air”. It is so invigorating to me to experience painting not only through my eyes but also through the feel of the breeze, the smell of the damp earth, and the chirping of the crickets.

My art is also inspired by the places I have traveled, Mexico and Italy especially. When I travel, I am always sketching the people and places. My first trip to Italy was an epiphany for me as I experienced medieval art and the Old Masters in the flesh for the first time. Impressionism and the magical realism of Mexican art have also influenced me. I do love to travel but there is truly “no place like home” as I live in rural Cedarburg, Wisconsin surrounded by farm fields ( and mooing cows ), and have a summer cabin in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin on the sandy shores of Lake Michigan. I love Wisconsin.

SUSAN HALE

Education:

BFA University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee
1974 Various painting workshops at MCAD (Minneapolis), MIAD (Milwaukee) and
Peninsula Art School (Fish Creek, WI)

Professional Organizations:

Oil Painters of America
Wisconsin Painters & Sculptors
Cedarburg Artists Guild
Door County Art League
League of Milwaukee Artists

Recent Awards:

1st Place " Alive in the Arts" Gallery 110, Plymouth, WI , Spring 2005
"The Milwaukee River" (Juried Group Show) ARTPOST Gallery, Grafton, WI, June 2004, Award of Merit
Door County Art League Annual Juried Show, The Hardy Gallery, Ephriam, WI 2000, Honorable Mention
Cedarburg Artists Guild Annual Juried Show, Cedarburg Cultural Center, Cedarburg, WI
1991,1999,2003, Awards of Merit

Recent Exhibits:

"Red", Invitational group show, Artpost Gallery, Grafton, WI, spring 2005
"The Muse", 2 person show, Art Escape Gallery, Thiensville, WI Spring 2005
"40x40", Juried Show, Peninsula Art School, Fish Creek, WI June 2005
MIAD Gallery, OUTREACH Exhibit, Milwaukee, WI, Dec. 2004 -Jan.-2005
Cedarburg Artists Guild Annual Fall Juried Show, 1990 through 2004
"Beginnings", Invitational Group Show, Atrium Gallery, Shorewood, WI 2004
"Transformation", Invitational Group Show, Mount Mary College Gallery, Milwaukee, WI, 2004
Hilton Head Art League National Juried Exhibition, Hilton Head, SC, 2004
League of Milwaukee Artists Annual Juried Show, Mount Mary College, Milwaukee, WI, 2003, 2004
The Mighty Midwest Biennial, New Visions Gallery, Wausau, WI, Fall 2003
"Identity", Guenzel Gallery , Fish Creek, WI, August 2003
"Blackbird", Juried Group Show, ARTPOST Gallery, Grafton, WI, 2003
"Journeys... Then and Now", 3 Person Show, ARTPOST Gallery, Grafton, WI, Summer 2004
The Hardy Gallery Annual Summer Juried Show, Ephriam, WI, 2002, 2003, 2004
The Main Street Gallery, 2 Person Show, Cedarburg, WI, May-June, 2003
" Alive in the Arts", (Juried), Gallery 110 North, Plymouth, WI, 2002, 2003
One-person show at The Annex Gallery, The Plymouth Foundation, Plymouth, WI 2002
Anderson Art Center Annual Winter Juried Show, Kenosha, WI, 2002
8 County Show, Juried, Kohler Art Museum, Sheboygan, WI, 1995, 1998, 2001,2005
"The Garden", Invitational Group Show, Wisconsin Lutheran College, Milwaukee, WI 2003
"The Box", "Invitational Group Show, Heart and Soul Gallery, Milwaukee, WI 2002
"Angels & Saints", One Person Show, La Boulangerie Café, Wauwatosa, WI 2002
"Them/Selves", Invitational, Group Show, Wisconsin Lutheran College, Milwaukee, WI 2001
West Bend Art Museum Annual Members Show, West Bend, WI, 2001,2002, 2003
League of Milwaukee Artist Annual Juried Show, Charles Allis Art Museum, Milwaukee, WI, 1999,2000, 2001, 2002
One Person Show at Fiddleheads Café, Thiensville, WI, 2000, 2002 .
"Circle of Friends", Invitational Group Show, Firefly Gallery, Wauwatosa, WI 2000
"Three Women", St. Somewhere Café, West Bend, WI 1999

Galleries:

Grace Chosy Gallery, Madison, WI
Art Escape Gallery, Thiensville, WI
Mio Bella Gallery, Brookfield, WI
Edgewood Orchard Gallery, Fish Creek, WI