susan finsen

My process is a combination of intuitive drawing, conscious shaping and layering, and the search for my spontaneous 5-year old self. I have no idea what the painting will be when I start. I begin by making marks with crayons and paint, sometimes with my eyes closed, and then a conversation between my arm, my eyes, my feelings, and the surface of the painting takes over. Marks are made and covered up, imagery is created, erased, and restored in a new form. I keep working until the surface feels interesting, and use color, line, shape and plane changes to express my feelings about what I see, remember, or invent.

I am a founding member of the Torpedo Factory Art Center in Alexandria Virginia where I have been a resident artist since 1974, and part of the Smalling-Finsen Studio + Gallery in Penobscot Maine.

Shades of Grey Dyptic	The Way the Wind Blows 48x36
Softly 1 12x12	Softly 2 12x12
Jazz Hands 1 18x18	Jazz Hands 2 18x18
Jazz Hands 3 18x18	Jazz Hands 4 18x18
Homage to Minnie 1 24x24	Homage to Minnie 2 24x24
Homage to Minnie 3 24x24	Homage to Minnie 4 24x24
Homage to Minnie 5 24x24	Homage to Minnie 6 24x24
Two Faced Fish Car 12x36	Fish Car 12x36
IMG_8042	IMG_7295