For years I have thought of myself primarily as a colorist, then several years ago, in the process of deconstructing the elements of Art & Design for one of my nine years running, “Pastel Basics” classes, I became conscious of my keen appreciation for the element of line. Beginning with a free flow of doodles, supraliminal symbols and calligraphy, my thumbnail sketches began inspiring my paintings. Soon symbols began to appear on their own, as if from a deeper part of me, one interacting and revealing itself.

After photographing a walk through the bare trees near my home, and an accidental manipulation of a new computer program, I stumbled upon the inspiration for this new series. Two years later the wildness of my northwest thicket and tunnel of alder trees continues to move me and inspires me to trust my own partnership with the unknown parts of my life. It is my trigger and my excuse to get lose, let go of concerns for a minute and plug-in. That’s when I feel my soul's energized strokes kick in.

Most of these abstractions merely bounce from my references, as I explore and develop color, size or stroke patterns. By limiting my repertoire of strokes and concentrating on placement, I feel myself responding more and more deeply to each choice, in a meditative way, as if bidden. And again, there are those trusting moments when I loose touch with my thinking mind and let free flow the surrealistic, automatic painting that evokes volunteer images. I’ve been exploring day and night ever since. And of course, I always get excited when my pastels 'bloom,' underpainting to finish with vibrant layers of color.

I use superior quality sanded papers, mostly Wallis, because of its velvety 'tooth.’ Using Wallis, paper, which is a great luxury in itself, allows me to build more layers into my work, be it of pastel or another liquid medium. My technique of layering pastels unifies much of my work, as each new layer informs the next. Lately, I have begun with a wash of Gouache, a brilliant and opaque form of watercolor. I like entering the ‘zone’ and the humor I feel, as I swish and swirl, and tell the paper who's boss.

Virginia born artist, and now WA resident since 1979, Susan Flora Glendenning, was painting angels at three. Continuing her love of art she earned a BA in Studio Art and also in Education at Meredith College in Raleigh, NC in 1971. She has exhibited and won awards and honors in Winston-Salem, Raleigh, and Fayetteville, NC where she launched herself into painting private commissions after winning first place in her first juried show. Four years in Europe added romance to her palette, where she painted the fairy tale scenes she so loved reading about as a child. Susan is also wife, mother, grandmother, writer, composer and calligrapher. Life flowers easily around her. Since 2004 she has devoted herself full time to painting, teaching and discovering along her artistic journey. Her colorful art has earned her signature status in the Northwest Pastel Society, won Local, National and International Awards, Best in Shows, an Olympia, city-wide Poster Competition, and now is an award winner in the Pastel Journal Magazine 's Top 100 for 2011. See article in the April 2011 issue. 

Resume:

Education:

BA Education and Art - Meredith College, Raleigh, NC, 1972

Wake Forest University and University of NC at Greensboro

Independent Studies with WA artists, Bill McEnroe, mentor/teacher 2004-2009,

Olympia Plein-Air Painters 2004-2012, Workshops with Bill Hosner, Ned Mueller and Susan Ogilvie.

Solo Shows:
2011 - Sticks Wings & Messages - Earth Artisan's Gallery, Tenino, WA
2010 - Les Fleurs & Coeurs - Earth Artisan’s Gallery Tenino, WA

2009 - Open Studio Tours Tumwater, WA also 2006 - 2012

2008 - Reflections Gallery, Solo Exhibition, Olympia WA

2007 - Artisan Gallery, Representation Eagle, Idaho

2006 - Brown’s Gallery, Featured artist & Representation Boise Idaho

2005 - Drop Leaf Gallery, Eagle Idaho, Featured Artist

2004 - Two Vaults Gallery, Tacoma WA Featured Artist

 2003 - Pearl Art Gallery Portland, OR Featured Artist

Juried Exhibitions:
2012 - NPS Invitational Distinguished and Signature pastellists, Bothell, WA Kaewyn Gallery

2012 - EAFA "Unfiltered Exhibit, Seattle, WA

2012 - 37th Annual Open Exhibit Seattle Design Center

2011 - The Pastel Journal Magazine's Top 100 - International Winner 3rd Place - Abstractions
2011 - Northwest PastelMembers Exhibit, Kirsten Gallery Seattle, WA 1st Place Honorable Mention
2010 - Blue Horse Gallery, Bellingham, WA NPS Members Show

2009 - NPS International Open - Am Art Co, Tacoma, WA - NPS Signature Status

2009 - Penninsula Art Association Show 2^nd Place Award

2009 - Blue Horse Gallery, Bellingham, WA NPS Members Show

2008 - American Art Co. NPS Open - Tacoma, WA Awarded “Cheap Joe’s” International Award

2008 - Mineart Art Center, South Puget Sound Community College, Juried Capitol City Show

2008 - Mercer Island Gallery and Arts Council NPS Members’ Show

2007 - NPS International Open June 2007 Prestigious International Sun Eden Award

2005 - Capitol City Visual Arts Exhibition, WA “Best in Show” Award

2005 - Juried Fine Art Exhibition, Puyallup

2005 - Northwest Pastel Society Members Juried Show Edmonds, WA,

2004 - 45th Annual Juried Art Show Pt Gamble, WA,

2003 - Five County Juried Art Show Olympia, WA

2003 - Art of the Garden Invitational Juried Show, Everett, WA

1971 - Fayetteville, NC Juried Art Association Exhibition First Place Award - Pen & Ink

 Group Shows:
2012 - Eastshore Gallery Bellevue, WA
2012 - Arts Olympia Annual Spring Members Show

2012 - Art Walk Olympia - Glendenning & Students
2011 - Driven to Abstraction - Corridor Gallery, Pioneer Square, Seattle WA
2011 - Abstractions - State of the Arts Gallery, Olympia, WA
2011, 2010, 2009 - Best of the NW Show - Invitational - Scott Milo Gallery, August   

2009 - Pastels Bloom at Cascadia, Olympia, Art Walk Glendenning & Students, 2009 & 2010

2003 - 2004 - Freighthouse Coop Gallery, Tacoma, WA

 1971 - Three Women Senior Show- Meredith College 1971 

Honors & History:
2011- The Pastel Journal Magazine - April 2011 - Top 100 - 3rd Place Abstraction 
2010 - Alumnae Art Exhibition-Rotunda Art Gallery Meredith , Raleigh, NC

2009 - Paint the Island Pastel Exhibit, Historical Society Anderson Island, WA Glendenning & students

2008 - 2012 - Educator for Seniors Making Art, Chihuly Foundation

2007 - City Poster Art for Olympia, WA Garden Rhapsodies tour 2007

1970 - Art published in “Acorn,” a Meredith College art & literary compellation

1970 - Art selected by College as gift, to educator, Dr Mary Lynch Johnson

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