Jumeirah on a Windy Day Painting

Susan de Guzman currently works in the Applied Communications Department at the Higher Colleges of Technology UAE. She holds a Bachelors of Fine Arts in Painting from the University of Santo Tomas (UST), Manila, Philippines and a Masters of Education in Online and Distance Learning from the University of Southern Queensland, Australia. She has spent 26 years of her professional career mentoring students in projects involving Graphic design and Art. A multi-awarded Art Professor, Susan is a recipient of several government awards for excellence and for representing her students in prestigious national and international competitions. Among those are: ‘Artist of the Year 2016’ Award, by The Filipino Times, UAE, ‘Most Influential Filipinos in the Gulf -Teacher with a Cause 2016’ Award, ‘Women of Substance 2011’ Award, by Illustrado, UAE. Susan also serves as an Expert representing the UAE in the biannual World Skills competition. At present, she is preparing a new group of works for her upcoming back-to-back exhibition along with her son and daughter. The show will feature large format paintings that reflect the Philippine Heritage in both the UAE and the Philippines. At the end of 2016, she is anticipating the ‘New York Show’, a group exhibition with her UST fellow artists. Susan’s interests include mural painting, graphic design, photography, fabric and web design. She hones her art skills by reading, photography and exploring how she can fuse all her hobbies into creating new levels in her art. Adept in all digital mediums, she often criss-crosses digital and purely painterly techniques, which gives life to the unique brand of Susan’s artistry. Her large-scale canvases are often evocative and engage the viewer to linger on the verge between the technological and the physical. An open invitation to her innermost feelings and emotions, these abstract works are a testimony of transformative processes that combine a myriad of skills and techniques mastered over several decades of artistic practice.