A.  THE ARTWORK OF DENISE SUSALKA

B.  ARTIST’S STATEMENT

C.  GALLERY EXHIBITS, JURIED EXHIBITIONS AND SOLO EXHIBITS 
D.  CURRICULUM VITAE OF DENISE SUSALKA

THE ARTWORK OF DENISE SUSALKA

 

Denise Susalka, a resident of Redding Connecticut and Palmas del Mar, earned an MBA in International Finance and worked for 18 years in banking and finance before beginning her art career

Since 2000, Denise Susalka has been channeling her creativity into painting with the same energy (and much more passion!) which she brought to a long and successful career in international finance.

Sharing her memories of living in France, Italy, Japan and Puerto Rico and travelling extensively in Asia, Europe, South America and the Caribbean, Denise uses color, texture, and play of light to convey a sense of place in her landscapes, evocative abstract and whimsical still-life paintings.

The vibrancy of her work seems to awaken the senses: evoking the floral scent of hibiscus or lavender, the tartness of a kiwi or the sweetness of a mango, the whisper of trees swaying or the roar of the surf, the warmth of the sun or the coolness of the breezes

 

Denise has exhibited her work in LakeShore Gallery in Bolton Landing, NY; Lady Audrey's Gallery in West Cornwall, CT; Rockwell Gallery in Westport, CT and had a permanent exhibition of her work at Maji-Lina Gallery in Rio Mar, PR until Gallery closed in 2013.

Denise is a founding member of Cannondale Studios and Gallery in Wilton, Connecticut, and exhibits her work throughout Connecticut and Puerto Rico

 

Please see more of her work at http://www.DeniseSusalkaArt.com/ and at
Metro Art Studios 345 Railroad Avenue, Bridgeport, CT 06604

Phone: 011.203.247.1060

 

ARTIST’S STATEMENT

The aim of art is to represent not the outward appearance of things, but their inward significance. Aristotle

 

 

I came late to art after a long career in finance. So I have been making up for lost time by painting 5-6 hours a day, 4-5 days a week since 2004.  Arriving at the studio around noon, I work until early evening. Occasionally I wonder: "Should I paint today?"  "Am I inspired now?" Then I remind myself to "just show up and paint”.  Often new inspiration comes after warming up. If not, I work on paintings in progress. This results in working on 4 or 5 paintings at a time (allowing time for the oil to dry). I seem always to have many works in process just waiting to be reviewed and renewed.

When new inspirational arrives, I put the works in process away while I develop my new concept (capturing fruit on a divided canvas in a graphic manner, doing a series of tropical flowers or voluptuous fruits, painting destination landscapes when I return from travel, working abstractly). 

Having traveled extensively, I try to bring different cultural perspectives to my work.  While bamboo is ubiquitous in Puerto Rico where I spend the winter, I see bamboo only with my Asian eyes and sensibility. I appreciate the cultural ethos as well as the universality in our attraction to the mystical.

Teaching provides a wonderful source of inspiration. I often regain my child-like vision through the eyes of my students. I love to see children incorporate new information with their unique perspective to arrive at something fresh and undeniably original.

In 2000, I began studying art and painting in both acrylics and oils.  In 2005, with another artist, I established the Cannondale Studio and Gallery with a few friends.

Prior to 2000, I used my foreign travel, undergraduate language study and masters in international finance to assist U.S. multinational corporations in meeting their American and foreign credit and other banking needs.  My varied past also includes studying French culture and media in France, editing a bilingual encyclopedia, teaching English to corporate executives in Japan and developing an English conversation program for intellectually gifted Japanese teenagers.

I hope this helps you understand the well from which my art is drawn.  I would love to hear if my art affects you and how you respond to it.

EXHIBITIONS

 

 

GALLERY EXHIBITS
Maji-Lina Gallery, Palmer (Rio Grande), PR, February 2010 to closure of Gallery in 2013.

      Featured Artist - March 17 - April 12, 2012

Rockwell Gallery, Westport, CT  November 18, 2011 to January 6, 2012

 

Lakeshore Gallery, Bolton Landing, NY Summer 2010
Lady Audrey’s Gallery West Cornwall, CT May 2009

 

 

JURIED EXHIBITS

Easton Arts Council, Art in the Country, Easton CT May 2013, 2o15

East End Art Guild Annual Exhibition, Centro de Arte, Humacao PR, March - April 2015
New Pond Farm From Farm to Canvas Invitational Art Show June 2011
Tarrywile Park, Second Annual Plein Air Festival, Danbury CT June 2011
Easton Arts Council, Art in the Country, Easton CT May 2011
East End Art Guild Annual Exhibition, Casa Escute, Carolina PR, June 2011
East End Art Guild Annual Exhibition, Patillas PR, February 2011,
Mark Twain Library Annual Exhibition, Redding CT, December 2010, 2008, 2006
Wilton Library Annual Art Show, Wilton CT, July 2010
Spirit Within, Invitational Exhibit, Georgetown CT, June 2010, June 2008
East End Art Guild Annual Exhibition, Guayama PR, May 2010
East End Art Guild Annual Exhibition, Humacao PR, January 2009, 2008, 2007
Regional Hospice Arts Festival Danbury CT June 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006
Wilton Arts Council Annual Exhibition, Wilton CT, Oct 2006
SoNo Annual Art Exhibit, Norwalk CT, August 2004
Society of Creative Arts of Newtown, Newtown CT, January 2004 and October 2003
Art from the Heart, Litchfield CT, November 2003
Silvermine Guild Student Art Show, New Canaan, CT August 2003, 2001
Earthplace, Westport CT, October 2002 and 2001

 

SOLO EXHIBITS
Blue Lemon, Westport, CT April-May 2011; July – September 2011
Gatherings, Wilton, CT, Autumn 2010
Leah’s Grill, Wilton CT, Summer 2010
Bistro 52, Spinning Wheel Inn, Redding, CT, Summer 2009
Prospect Library, Prospect CT Summer 2009
Caracoles, Humacao PR, February 2008
Cannondale Studio Exhibit, Wilton CT, 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005
Marriott Hotel Norwalk CT, November-December, 2007
Nancy O’s Gallery, Ridgefield CT, May 2007
Palmas del Mar Country Club, Humacao PR, March 2007
Wilton Food Company, Wilton CT, July 2006 through2007
Cheshire Public Library, Cheshire CT, June 2006
Tom E Toes Gallery, Wilton CT, December 2006, April 2004
Bank of American fka Fleet (3 branches) March 2004

 

 

Curriculum Vitae of Denise Susalka

Graduate Degree:  St. John's University, Jamaica, NY; MBA International Finance and International Marketing

University:  Queens College, New York; Bachelor of Arts with majors in French and English as well as a minor in Spanish

Post Graduate Work:

Continued exploring the Art and Culture of France at the Universite de Caen in Normandy, with studies in French Language, Media and Culture and first-hand experience with French Art and Artists.

Employed in International Editorial Arts for the New York-based arm of Hachette, the Swiss publishing company.

Major interest in Japanese Art developed while living in Japan for two years and became fascinated by Japanese Artists, Artisans, and Printmakers. 

English Instructor at Berlitz in Tokyo where students included Japanese businessmen, French bankers as well as Russian and Cuban diplomats. Privately, developed program for intellectually gifted Japanese teens.

Traveled extensively in Asia and Europe.

Upon returning from Asia, earned an MBA in International Finance and Marketing at St. John’s University, NY.

Finance Career (1981-1998):  Continued travel in Europe and the Caribbean. Like Paul Gauguin, worked in banking and dreamed of foreign travel and the tropics. Unlike Gauguin, succeeded in banking to become Vice President at two major banks.  Art was postponed until her sons completed university.

 

FINE ARTS EDUCATION: Silvermine School of Art, New Canaan, CT

2000-2004:    Began studying, painting and showing landscapes in Acrylics and Oils.  Studied with Master Artists (Lenwood Freas, George Passantino, David Dunlop, Alex McFarlane and Tom Brenner, and Robert Baxter) and attended Art Workshops in Puerto Rico, France and Italy.

2005 to Present:  Set up studio in Wilton (moving to Norwalk in 2011) and began to paint full-time: luscious fruits, tropical flowers, still life and abstract paintings   

Continued painting landscapes on site when possible and drawing on her international travel experience during periods when plein air painting was not possible.