Ash Tree Morning Painting

Contemplative Artist, Art Teacher, Retreat Facilitator, Writer Suzanne Frazier has appeared in several video interviews on her YouTube page: Suzanne Frazier - Contemplative Artist. Here is a link: https://youtu.be/ssLGictRtqw Suzanne Frazier gave an extensive interview on her work and her contemplative art expression in a podcast. Here is the link: https://artunknownpodcast.com/portfolio-items/ep55-suzanne-frazier/ Artist Statement Viewing the world from a meditative practice, I call myself a Contemplative Artist. To me, contemplative art is the product of creative expression rising from the pure joy of creating, grounded in a meditative connection to the radiance and perfection of spirit known only through one’s experience of being fully human. During a contemplative experience one does not observe anything specific but rather a feeling emerges from the meditation. Likewise, I choose to create work that does not refer to any specific location or time. I choose instead to invite the viewer into my meditation of my collected emotional responses from residing for forty-five years in Colorado. Each painting lives in its own place and time. It breathes on it’s own, free from a particular association, reflecting back to the viewer a new way of seeing. The painting changes as the viewer breathes in detail, subtleties of shape, and nuance of color. Then the painting breathes back to the viewer. A relationship ensues. The painting process begins with heavy application of oil paint with a pallet knife to create texture. After the layer of thick paint dries and hardens, I begin the next layer, painting the contemplated image. Color and texture are the predominate features of my work, especially creating unique hues to reveal a particular mood. After applying untold layers of paint to create unique colors, my interpretation of my heart-centered experience arrives on the canvas. Art is a vehicle for exploring the exterior and interior landscape of our existence on this planet. Using images that are familiar from the environment to express in a non-verbal manner my life experience, I invite you to gaze, without labels, into my shared contemplation. Suzanne Frazier integrates a BFA degree in Studio Arts from the University of Colorado with a BA degree in Philosophy from Lake Erie College to create a philosophical/meditative approach to art making.