Featured Artist for Week of June 29th

[Susan C. Burke]

MY HISTORY: Hi, Everyone, I’m Susan Cafarelli Burke, the featured artist this week. I remember loving art as a child but attended parochial schools that had no money or interest in the arts and so I never really developed my artistic side. After I already finished college, I still was interested in art and so I attended a JR. College and studied graphic arts. I worked in that field for 15 years. Eventually, I got a masters degree in Theology and Art and taught humanities at a Jr. College for 9 years. Four years ago I began a serious study of fine art that led to where I am now, one semester shy of getting a BFA in visual art. I recently joined the Artist –to- Artist website to just connect with other artist and begin putting my attention on promoting and selling art as a full-time career.

RECENT PROJECTS: My art seems to be settling in what has been described as magical realism. My paintings are usually very colorful and playful. And I am gravitating to mostly water mediums. My goal in art is to combine my two loves, that of art and theology. For several years, I have been working on a project about Religions of the Earth sometimes called “Nature Religions.” One of the characteristics of these religions is the distinction between the sacred and the profane. So I have a number of paintings inspired by the Native American Medicine Wheel in the sacred area and four paintings depicting the profane area. I still have four paintings to complete but you can see most of my BFA show (scheduled for November 2, 1009) posted in my albums area of my profile under Religion of the Earth. Some paintings are watercolor, some are oils, and some are serigraphy.

I also have been working a number of Facebook portraits done in acrylic marbling, watercolor, and collage. These are based on my friends’ photos and text posted on Facebook profile pages.

PROCESS: Sometimes I just research free photos on the web or photos I have taken to begin getting reference material for my topic at hand. I start combining images in small black and white sketches. I brainstorm those sketches by creating a number of preliminary layouts that divide the space into a light, dark and medium areas. Then I choose the one I find most interesting and lay that out in a big format on either paper of canvas. Referring back to my sketches often, I begin painting layers of warm and then cool colors in a spontaneous way. I enhance the composition by adding dark or light shapes as needed during and evaluation phase. Near the end, I add any collage.

Thanks you, for reading this. You can see my art posted under my album area in my profile. Susan

[Leisa Luis-Grill]

Especially love the evocative, emotional tone of Profane Abuse of Animals. They seem to leap off the page. Is this watercolor? Did you mix photography with it or are these drawings?

[Susan C. Burke]

Thank you. This painting is entirely watercolor. There is no photography in the painting. I did however use reference photos for the drawings.

[Verwest]

You minimize the abuse of pain, you seem to look for an compehenseble answer for what we eat and what we kill. This is brought in such an subtil way that it doesn't provoke but yet gives you a way of thinking what we are living with.

[Susan C. Burke]

Thanks for your comments. It's really interesting to hear another person's impressions. All but the animal abuse paintings have collaged pieces with photos of abuse. I haven't quite finished the animal one. The collages are meant to grab you as you get closer to the paintings. First you are drawn to color but later you see the horror.

[Coleen Ryan-Rivera]

Got to agree that Profane Abuse of Animals is stunning. Love the colors ,which draw one in and then the emotional reaction to the animals is powerful. A very successful work.

[Susan C. Burke]

Thanks Ryan. I have been out of town and away from computers so this is a little late. Thanks for your kind comments. It's very encouraging.

[Barbara Kirby]

Hi Susan,
By far 'Abuse of Animals' is most captivating. When I look at pieces of art, especially my own, I sometimes close one eye and block out a portion(s) to see what works and what doesn't or what adds or detracts. I found the brightly colored little chicks were in such opposite to the carnage, that was so intense and prevalent when they were covered, that they acted as a barrier, a softening to the real brutality. I need to ask, what prompted you to portray this emotionally charged piece and what actually was the purpose of the chicks? It just dawned on me, they dye them for Easter. I don't celebrate the holidays. Still they're colors change the piece. I do like this one!
barb

[Susan C. Burke]

Barbara, Thanks for your comments. I was out of town and away from computers during my week so I'm sorry for my late reply. Through their innocence and color, the chicks were used to draw you into the painting where you are confronted with the abuse. And, yes, little chicks are dyed with no regard to how it affects their health. The painting is not actually finished. I still have to add the collage pieces that is on the other paintings. The collage pieces are the final blow with real pictures of abused animals printed on silk and carefully concealed throughout the painting.

[Slone Fries]

Wow Susan you are defintly one of those people who keep going and going with such a passion in serach of what it is they are doing! I never really thought deeply about your art until now. I think that the type of art you do is what is inline with what America is trending toward everyday. .....
Ideas onhow to get your name and art out there........I would seriously consider putting together maybe half a dozen of different type of art that shows Abuse on Animals and take it to the ASPCA or other humanitry programs and offer your art for free in exchange (minus expenses) for make sure they wrote up on the print who created it and being able to buy a print/postcard that also has your name on it and where your inspiration for the art comes from. It would be an eesy fund Drive for them (may be get some other artists you know) and you could also market via the web,free newspaper space, etc. You would be selling prints and not the orginal(you could aution that off for profit later!) and perhaps offer to personally sign them for locally sellers. You would probably recieve local help from the organization if you wanted to put it in a open showing sinceyou can hold it almost anywhere but also make it aviliable online!
I know I get my weekly newsletter about all the abuse and it drives me insane, especially latley they have been concentrating on puppy mills and it just breaks my heart and yes I am the type of person who would buy a print to just to make a contribution to an organization (I have just bought organge stuff before-Yikes) however with a print in hand someone is more likely to check out who created this piece of art! I know I have left places before and they were smart enough to leave me with a post card and the artist inofrmation. Just an idea, you know how California is, especiallly the centralcoast, we hugg our trees! It would also work for your other types of art as well! Just an idea since your artwork does pack a powerful blow!
okay time for me to sound stupid...what is serigrahy

[Susan C. Burke]

Sloane, I just got back into town and back on the computer. Thanks for the idea and your comments. I do love animals and have considered doing something like this. By the way, serigraphy is just the fancy art world name for silk screen. Susan

[Katharine Gilbert]

Susan, it sounds like you do a lot of sketching and planning for you paintings, but they still have a feeling of spontaneity about them. This is a hard thing to accomplish. Watercolor is such a difficult media and I admire the mastery of it. Best of luck on your BFA show and I look forward to seeing pictures of the installation.

[Susan C. Burke]

Thank you Katherine. I have been out of town during my week, and just returned. Thanks for your comments. The composition and layout is carefully planned but the actual paint applied is spontaneous so that probably helps.