Our Development Associate Brit Hotaling caught up with Susan right after her talk last week at her Artist Reception to learn a little bit more about Miiller herself and her endeavors. You can still catch Being There: Paintings by Susan Miiller until this Friday, March 11th from 9AM to 5 PM.

BH: When did you start painting? What drew you to it?

SM: I have been an artist as far back as I can remember. I really became a professional artist 30 years ago, when I was accepted into the Hudson Valley '86 exhibition and my work sold. 

 BH: What is your favorite type of medium to use and why do you choose the focuses that you do?

SM: I primarily use oil paint because it has so many possibilities. I can use it additively or subtractively to create dramatic modulations of color and space. I can use it alla prima or en plein air to create thickly painted, direct observations of nature.

 BH: What has been the impact of art overall in your life? What impact has your art had on other's lives that you've seen?

SM: I hope to make an impact on my viewers. I hope they will see not only the physical form but the essence of the landscapes I paint; that although representational in imagery, they capture important abstract qualities that embody the duality between paint and imagery.

 BH: You’re also an art teacher- how does your artistry affect you in the classroom?

SM: My teaching philosophy is that I am an artist first and an art teacher second. This is because I think it is very important that I bring my firsthand experiences as an artist to my students.   

 BH: How long have you been painting images of and inspired by the Catskills?  What was your first exhibit/ set of paintings like? How have you evolved over the years?

SM: I have been painting images of and inspired by the Catskills since 1999. Many of my early works used additive and subtractive approaches. My inspiration has always been all of the Hudson River School artists. They were America's first International Art movement!

  Susan Miiller has won several awards, including the Arts In Orange Grant (2014), and the Jurors Award: Artists of the Mohawk Husdson Region (2013.) Some recent solo exhibitions have included Reflections at the Artology Gallery in New Windsor NY- as well as group shows in Lancashire, England for the “Pendle Print Biennial” in 2014, and “International Footprint Biennial” at JVS Project Space in NYC.

 You can also catch up with Miiller by reading some of her recent press, as she was featured in Artist Abstractly Surveys Hudson Valley Waterfalls by Enjoy! Po Journal, or in Natural World Inspires DVAA Exhibit, published in the Times Herald.

Remember, You can still catch Susan Miiller's Exhibit: Being There here at the Catskill Center Erpf Gallery until Friday, March 11th.

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