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

Sue, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?

I wanted to be an artist since I was very young. Every spring, my parents would load me and my three sisters into the station wagon for the 45 minute drive to a nearby town for the annual art festival. The town was bustling with activity and it usually coincided with the blooming of a profusion of azaleas and flowering trees and perfectly comfortable temperatures. Artists came from all over the country to show their work and it was the paintings that captured my interest. I was in awe of the exquisite art, rendered with expert technique. Each year, I left the festival filled with inspiration and fueled with a desire to draw and play with visual expression. Could I be an artist someday?

As the years went by, I continued to sketch, however, inferior materials, little access to instruction and an equal interest in science and academic performance, which was much more celebrated and encouraged, led me to prioritize other pursuits for many decades. I held that childhood vision close to my heart and waited for a chance to make it a new priority. That opportunity eventually came when finances were good enough and family obligations were lessening. I took a class in a local community education program in painting. Soon after, I joined and then took on the directing of a plein air group, and made a commitment to develop my art. My work started out crudely but innate skill along with perseverance and support from my fellow artists was enough to nurture my practice. I began to improve quickly. As I dedicated myself to becoming a professional artist, I noticed three things that were making the most difference in my advancement: regular practice, challenging myself to paint things that intimidated me and asking for honest critiques from painters whose work I admired. Dedication and fearlessness are two qualities that help one overcome many obstacles in learning to create and so I embraced these.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

Being a professional artist is not just about mastery of the visual media, there is also a business component to success in this field. My next step was to show my work and learn the business. I began by looking for places to exhibit, starting with some group shows and galleries. After 2 years of painting, I was juried into a co-op gallery. Because it was an artist’s cooperative in which all members work to run the gallery, I could also begin to learn the business side of art. This would prove to be instrumental in my self-directed education in the fine arts. I took this new curriculum on with the same level of commitment as I had given to painting. Each year, my position in the gallery leadership advanced and by the fourth year, I was President, responsible for heading up the entire operation.

Just before my term as President at the gallery was to begin, another opportunity presented itself. While at lunch with a group of fellow artists, I was asked if I would be interested in filling a studio vacancy in Asheville’s River Arts District. Opening a studio felt like a bold move. I had been painting regularly for 6 years and had been showing my work in the downtown Co-op gallery for 4 of those years. I sold a bit of work now and then but not enough to justify costs/rent payments for a working studio. I thought my answer would be no but I was curious enough to take a look at the space, It was a big space with two large windows on the wall opposite the door. A work table was set up in the area in front of the windows and there was room for an easel and tools. It felt good. I wanted to try it. I really didn’t know how it would be to have a working space. 90% of my work at the time was plein air. Would I have sales? Enough to cover expenses? I had been saving up money for travel and it was enough to cover the payments for a 6 month lease so I decided to risk it. I moved into the studio in July of 2019. From the first month in my studio, my sales more than cover all expenses and continue to grow year to year as my work improves and my audience expands.

Three months after moving into the studio, my term as President at the downtown gallery began and then in the early Spring, Covid hit us all. The gallery faced an existential crisis and my job suddenly became extremely demanding and stressful. I had little or no time for painting. With great teamwork,the gallery pulled through and a year and a half later, I resigned. The pandemic period had taken a toll on my painting practice, so after leaving the gallery responsibilities behind, I finally had time to devote to building my studio business. Since then, I have made great progress and not only has my business begun to grow but my painting has also matured.

I am most proud of my latest work which is a synthesis of many influences and techniques acquired over the years. Because of my love for a challenge I had experimented with many media, tools and techniques. I repeatedly found myself enjoying linework with various pens, brushes and writing tools. I also returned over and over again to watercolor, for its luminosity, cheerful colors and practical nature. It is easy to transport and clean up. I became fascinated with color palettes and began playing with limited colors. I worked abstractly to eliminate any influence that subjects might have on my play with color. I first laid down a framework of bold black lines in dynamic compositions with an exciting sense of movement. As colors were added, they came alive! Eventually, some of that experimentation leaned more towards representational and now I enjoy doing both of these.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

Expanding my consciousness through creative play is the most rewarding aspect of being an artist.

My journey as a professional artist is ongoing and I still have a lot to learn and master. The way my perception is developing is mysterious and magical. Sometimes I will create a piece that is particularly pleasing to me and for a while, I will feel absolutely fabulous about it but as time goes on, I begin to see that it could be even better and I yearn to reach that next level. It is like this with human consciousness and of course, my art is an expression of my consciousness, so I will always be seeking. I will continue to practice, challenge myself to face my fears and resistance and take feedback to heart. This, living on the edge of something new, excites me!

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

I don’t really believe in non-creatives so I think their struggle is in recognizing and/or acknowledging their talents. There is usually a place where people are innovating something but since it is in an area that is not considered an artform, they discount their creative abilities. Once a person begins to acknowledge the area in their life where their creativity flows, they can begin to enhance that process with intention and dedication. It is an important component of a healthy life to find an area of creative expression.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.suedolamore.com
• Instagram: @suedolamore
• Facebook: Sue Dolamore Art

Image Credits
All images are mine.