Susan J. Harris, Artist Bio

Susan, Virginia born, has lived in North Carolina the majority of her life and calls North Carolina home.  She and her husband lived in Jamestown, NC, for 30 years where they raised and home-educated their two now-grown children. They currently reside in the Greater Piedmont area on the outskirts of Greensboro overlooking 150 beautiful acres of rolling hills and farmland with fabulous views of sunrises and sunsets which provide great inspiration for many of her paintings. She has had eight years of art education consisting of five years of academic training and three years of private study and mentoring under a professional artist.  She continues her art education as opportunity permits.  Susan’s art education and working with multimedia have provided her with a broad spectrum of understanding and appreciation for all aspects of art.  Although she has produced artwork in numerous mediums over the years, her preference is acrylic mixed media and is best described as abstract expressionism.

Susan has served as juror for fine art exhibitions and on judge’s panels for multi-grade art fairs.  She is an accomplished and internationally published mixed media artist and her artwork can be found in publications such as:  “BEST OF WORLDWIDE MIXED MEDIA ARTISTS, VOL.1” (2010);  “INTERNATIONAL DICTIONARY OF ARTISTS” (2011); and “BEST OF THE BEST WORLDWIDE ARTISTS” (2011).  She maintains gallery representation and has exhibited in national juried shows, solo exhibits, museums and various galleries across the state of North Carolina.  Her fine art can be found in private collections throughout the US and Canada as well an eight piece commercial installation at Cone Health Cancer Center in Greensboro, NC.

ARTIST STATEMENT: 

Since early childhood, Susan’s heart desire was to be an artist.  She loves to create art which conveys a message of encouragement.  Beginning with a single concept, often a simple observation of nature—the striking color of a sunset, the labyrinthian texture of a leaf—she uses texture and color, applying layer upon layer, taking the initial inspiration in an ever-evolving direction.  Each painting comes from the heart and becomes an exploration of identity, capturing mood, layers of emotions and the subconscious with an intentional purpose to evoke the viewer’s own interpretation. The majority of her paintings take weeks, some even months, of layering to achieve the finished product.  Each painting is a search, a journey, an experiment and carries a message of its own.

Susan says, “To me, art is an individual expression of the inner self.”  In 2011 she noticed circles of various sizes and colors had found their way onto many of her canvases.  As she looked inwardly to discover why these circles kept appearing, she concluded that painting from the heart does indeed have a tendency to reveal who she is as an individual and as an artist. To Susan, circles represent commitment and truth which are at the top of her list of important characteristics. At least one or more circles will be incorporated in each painting she creates.  They may be found in the painting or on the outer edge, pronounced or subtly embedded.  The circles represent her promise to collectors that she has made every effort to produce the highest quality of art she can possibly achieve and to stay true to her commitment to paint from the heart.

Gallery Representation:

GALLERY OF ART AT THE CHAMBER
    342 N. Elm Street, Greensboro, NC
CIRCA GALLERY
    150 Sunset Avenue, Asheboro, NC.
AUBREY HOME
    3500 Old Battleground Ave, Greensboro, NC
GALLERY OF THE ARTS (Past)
    Winston-Salem, NC  
HEART OF LIVING HOME GALLERY (Past)
    Greensboro, NC  

Publications/Recognition:

BEST OF WORLDWIDE MIXED MEDIA ARTISTS VOL.1, 
    pp 77 & 78, Kennedy Publishing, 2010
INTERNATIONAL DICTIONARY OF ARTISTS VOL. 1,
    pg 155, World Wide Art Books, 2011
BEST OF THE BEST WORLDWIDE ARTISTS,
    Kennedy Publishing, 2011

Commercial Installations:

CONE HEALTH CANCER CENTER,\
    501 N. Elam Avenue, Greensboro, NC