Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Susan Klinger. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Susan, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Are you happier as a creative? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job? Can you talk to us about how you think through these emotions?
I can honestly say I am happy being an artist. It is not always easy, but I don’t know how to NOT be an artist! Creating is as important to me as eating and breathing. I process the world visually and am continually inspired by the many potential painting subjects I see as I go about living my life. As my inventory of finished pieces continues to grow and accumulate, I have at times thought about ceasing to create. That never lasts. The urge to paint becomes too strong and I am right back at it.
I had a regular job, sort of. I was a teacher, but an art teacher on the high school level. It was my way to have a career with a steady income, retirement plan and all that, while still being involved in art creation on a daily basis. But, I also made it a point to be the teacher that practiced what she preached. I painted on the side as time allowed and shared my successes and struggles with my students. I believe that being a working artist made me a better art teacher, while being an art teacher made me a better artist. Interacting with young artists full of ideas was inspiring. Now that I have retired from teaching in the public school system, I enjoy my time as an artist even more.
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?
My journey into being an artist has been very organic. As a child, I was always making things, working with my hands. At that time, I was more crafty, not so much into drawing. There was a pivotal point in junior high school where we had to do a color drawing from a still life. The fact that the objects in my drawing appeared three-dimensional surprised and excited me. It felt like magic that I was able to create that illusion of reality on a flat piece of paper. That was the hook and I just went forward from there.
Art school followed and then a 30+ year career teaching art on the high school level, all the while working on creating my own art. I began as a watercolor artist studying with Jim McFarlane for years, but knowing I had to find my own path and style. During a summer grad class for my teaching certification, we were painting on an Amish farm in 90 degree heat and high humidity. My watercolors were not behaving as I was used to in the field (literally in a corn field!). We had been instructed to purchase pastels as well for the class, so I thought, why not give them a try. That first pastel painting flipped a switch for me. Pastels were so immediate. I was holding the pigment directly in my hand. I found myself being bolder and more expressive with my marks, knowing I could brush it off if I wasn’t happy with it. I was hooked. I continued with watercolor for a while, but gradually was painting more pastels until soft pastel became my primary medium. That said, my many years of teaching had me teaching many different mediums and styles, so to this day, I occasionally switch over to oils or acrylics and from realism to abstract to feed the other side of my artist personality.
My current work is almost exclusively in soft pastel with images from my recent travels being my source of inspiration. I am relatively new to travel, particularly to international destinations. The flood of new imagery that I am experiencing has me bursting with ideas for paintings. My versatility, honed from my years of teaching, provides me with the ability to paint a wide range of subjects with relative ease. Scenic vistas, ancient architecture, rolling surf, even bubbles in the swirling of a wine glass are all within my repertoire. I also do the occasional commission of children’s portraits as well as pet portraits.
The constant in my approach to art is to create vibrant, inspired art that focuses on color and light. I want my audience to enjoy and feel uplifted by the beauty in the world around them. I aim to communicate a feeling, without the use of words, for my collectors to enjoy each day. I want my art to contribute to a more peaceful society along with an appreciation for our environment.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
In the not-too-distant past, my husband went through a series of major medical hurdles. As his spouse, it was my role to be his medical advocate through many procedures and hospitalizations. Initially, I was still working as a high school art teacher. Those 2 roles left very little time for me to create art. Ultimately, I retired early, spending the next 5 years juggling all things medical, squeezing in art where I could. Sadly, my husband passed away. Grief is a strange animal. At times, through all the medical trials and then after his passing, I would vacillate between having absolutely no motivation to create and needing to stand before my easel, even if it only meant splashing paint on the canvas to see where it would lead.
The paint splashing proved to be a lifesaver for a year or two. I did not have the focus I felt was required to do my realistic work. Throwing paint at a surface, spraying it down with water bottles and then just reacting in the moment provided me with an outlet I desperately needed. I had no preconceived ideas as to where any one piece was going. To my surprise, as each of those pieces was complete, I stepped back and realized I was recording our journey through the difficulties we were facing. It was eye opening!
Fast forward to a year of being solo after his passing (the Covid year!), I began to feel the need to get back to my roots of realism. I pushed into subjects with which I would have previously not been comfortable. They were technically challenging. We all had time on our hands and at that point, I had a need to stay very busy. I felt myself coming back as an artist of realism.
My late husband had not wanted to travel, something I had wanted to do upon retiring. After becoming a solo, very good friends offered to teach me how to travel, resulting in several international trips over the course of a year. All of the visual stimuli of being in a foreign country ignited a spark in me that has fueled my art for well over a year. I am excited by the beauty in the world around me again and motivated to interpret that and share it with the world through my art.
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 have come to realize that many non-creatives do not understand the cumulative effort of years of practicing our art. I am many times asked, “How long did that piece take for you to do?”. The response 10 years, 30 years, or 40 years is met with a jaw drop. Any one piece may take hours, days, weeks or even months. But without the years that came prior to that, perfecting our skills and vision, the piece could not have been created. Many non-creatives see the tip of the iceberg – the completed art – yet do not see all that lies below the surface that made it possible.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.susanklinger.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/susanklingerartist/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/susanklingerartist/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/susanklingerartist
Image Credits
Susan Klinger