We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Susan Sinyai a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Susan thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

Thinking back, I can say that there was no “aha “ moment. I believe there were little whispers that guided my path. Some of these during my adolescence, such as my love of sewing – the texture and design of fabrics, the constructive process, the fascination with design and being able to change it, the getting lost (being in the zone) while immersed in all that. Later, after completing an uninspiring but typical BA in Sociology, with no thoughts of art, in a few years I was married and had young children. After taking a few little art classes for fun, and rediscovering I did have some skills, I enrolled at UNCA for some “serious “ art courses. That was my moment , I believe. My mind was on fire and I knew I had found my passion! The path was laid out for me! So I committed to receiving the BFA, taking seven years to complete, as my children were always my priority. And, the journey continues, always with bumps in the road and unsuspected opportunities.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Early in my painting career I focused primarily on portraiture. I was commissioned by UNCA in 1999 to paint the portrait of former Chacellor Samuel Shuman. But after pursuing commissioned portraiture for a number of years and finding it less and less satisfying, I found myself being drawn to the natural world as my source of inspiration, finding there the things I love to express in my work – color, texture, and mostly the quality of light. It is the enchanting, transient effects of the light on the subject matter that I am continually exploring, always wanting to capture that fleeting moment of perfect light.. I love how the light describes form, manipulates color, makes a dramatic statement. And I’m constantly amazed how the quality of light can evoke mood and memory .
I think of myself as an intuitive realist, finding and wanting to capture the beauty in the real. As I develop a painting, the “painter’s language” (value, color, light, design) is my means of communicating and expressing my response to what I am seeing. When a viewer connects to a painting on an emotional level, I know I have visually told the story of the subject.

I am primarily a studio painter. My landscape paintings are inspired by my many photographic references, and may be a compilation of combined elements, or perhaps just a sliver of a scene. I want more to create a mood, not just document a specific place or time. I set up my still lifes and paint from life; my flowers and bouquets are created from both life and my photographs. on occasion, I do plein aire painting, because I believe it teaches some important things, like understanding color, light, responding quickly to those things; this helps me in my studio, which I find to be much more hospitable and comfortable. I believe photo references and plein aire studies to be useful and necessary tools to my way of painting.

With my depictions of the landscape,
I hope I am communicating my belief that now, more than ever, we need to appreciate the fragile and precious beauty of the natural world because so much of our landscape is being lost to development. . My hope is that my visual interpretations can bring joy and a sense of serenity , making our fast-paced and tumultuous world small and comfortable, if even for a moment.

I have developed a love of teaching adults – sharing my knowledge is something that has become so important to me. I really do find joy in emboldening adult students with an “I can do this” spirit and gaining confidence in their painting endeavors.. I have found that working with others enhances my own artistic development – which for all artists, should be an ongoing pursuit!

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

This is a very recent, and still raw, story. Here in Asheville NC, in the River Arts District, we suffered a devastating blow from Hurricane Helene. My studio, teaching, and exhibit space was completely obliterated. I personally lost 19 paintings, and many supplies. But yet…. The owner of 310 Art, Fleta Monaghan , even in the face of losing her business of 20+ years and some of her own artwork, soon found another teaching space (I just taught a Beginning Oil Workshop last weekend) . I just started planning for some new paintings, but I still looking for exhibit space. So much sudden, unexpected loss (for so many people). Despite my grief , I have still felt the need to continue with my work, though it’s been on the back burner for a bit. I am wondering – how will it be different, how will it be the same? I’m not sure- as I said in the beginning of this interview, it’s a journey, with bumps in the road and unexpected opportunities!

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

I would like people to understand that an artist’s work is really a little bit of their soul that is being offered. It’s soulful work, hard work. That it’s OK to like a piece of art, or a style, that’s not trendy, that other people may or may not like. It should be how YOU make a connection with it. The value of original art as an expression of the human soul should never be thought of in just monetary terms. But, keeping all that in mind, it goes without saying saying that artists need to make a living in order to continue their work.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://susanmeyersinyai.com
• Instagram: susansinyai
• Facebook: Susan Meyer Sinyai SusanSinyaiArt

Image Credits

Susan Sinyai