Butterfield Garage featured exhibitor in June is Abstract Painter Susan Smith. During the First Friday Art Walk June 3rd, she will present an Artist Talk at 6:00 PM.

Susan Smith is currently intrigued with texture and line. She paints without brushes, using scraping tools which adds to the tactile surface of her work. Line plays an important but often hidden component, as each painting begins with many lines and gradually, as they are refined and eliminated, a composition emerges. A thought or feeling emerges to speak to the viewer.

Self taught in an abstract style, Susan painted in the 70’s until children intervened. After raising kids and growing food for many years, she took a detour into spinning, weaving, dying, and creating handwoven clothing that she sold wholesale and retail.” A cancer diagnosis and treatment led to examining her life and asking “What do I really want to do?” The answer was easy, “Paint!!!”

Susan chose watercolor because its transparency is similar to dye. After a few years of creating loose, still lifes and scenic images she yearned to return to a more abstract style. Despite many classes with other artists, It remained a struggle. Eventually, collage with hand made-painted papers helped guide her back into abstraction. Collage morphed into mixed media and lately she has been letting go of a reliance on collage and using pen, pencil and crayon with acrylics. Tthe freedom of mixed media has set her on the open ended path she had been searching for.