Susan Finsen

ARTIST STATEMENT

My process combines 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. In addition, I have been a resident artist since 1974 and part of the Smalling-Finsen Studio + Gallery in Penobscot, Maine.