            |
SUZANNE
CLARK
It was with her drawing of a robin at age seven, that Suzanne Clark
began her career in art. She was surprised and delighted that the
result actually looked like a real robin! This first success with
birds launched her on a unique art path. Throughout her career,
she has incorporated birds and feathers in many of her drawings
and paintings.
Her art education began at the University of Hartford Art School
in Connecticut where she majored in painting and received awards
for “General Excellence” during her two years there. Suzanne
then decided to continue her education at the Boston Museum School
of Fine Arts. While there, she majored in Fine Arts Painting and
was awarded several scholarships. In addition to the regular painting
program, she gained extensive training in “Old Masters”
techniques and painting restoration. She completed four years of
work at the Museum School. earning a diploma “ with Distinction”
in painting. Returning to the University of Hartford Art School
for yet another year of study, she graduated with a B.F.A. Cum Laude
in graphic design.
As a result of her volunteer work with a raptor rehabilitation organization
at Shelburne Farms (OFES), Suzanne has had the privileged opportunity
of coming face to face with many of these magnificent birds in their
aviaries. These birds cannot be released into the wild because they
can no longer survive independently due to their various injuries.
Instead, they have become feathered ambassadors while educating
the general public about what it truly means to live in the wild.
Her close observations and interactions, along with her husband’s
excellent reference photos, have inspired Suzanne to create a new
series of individual bird portraits. The birds’ strong survival
instincts and abilities juxtaposed with their delicate and ethereal
beauty captivates Suzanne. In turn, she strives to capture their
wild and intriguing primitive nature… the essence of a free
and independent spirit radiates from each of her special birds.
“Even though birds primarily exist only in the wild, they are
more than generic wildlife to me. They are very much a part of our
world, but in some respects, not of it. Their “lightness of
being” symbolizes them as creatures transcending the ordinary
qualities of earthly life. But birds are more than spiritual icons
to me. I seek to portray each bird’s uniqueness. They are individuals
with their own idiosyncrasies…as are we.”
Over the past thirty-some years, she has created illustrations and
book jackets for publishers such as Houghton Mifflin, Athenaeum,
and Beaufort Books. She was also the recipient of several project
commissions for the Franklin Mint. In addition, she has completed
several portrait commissions and her work resides in many private
collections.
Now that her
children are grown, Suzanne devotes a greater portion of her time
to artistic pursuits. She resides in Essex Junction, Vermont with
her husband Mark and 2 devoted cats.
She has exhibited (and won awards) in numerous state and national
shows including:
American Artists Professional League, NYC -54th Grand National Exhibition
Knickerbocker Artists, NYC
The Allied Artists of America, Inc., NYC
Catherine Lorillard Wolf Art Club, NYC
Washington & Jefferson College, PA
Wintonbury Art League, West Hartford, CT
Slater Memorial Museum, Norwich, CT -Annual Connecticut Artists
Exhibition
Greene Art Gallery, Guilford, CT
Shoreline Alliance for the Arts, Guilford, CT
Mystic Art Association, Mystic, CT |
 |
