From the moment I held my first pencil it was clear to me that I would become an artist. I hold a BA in studio fine arts from the University of Maryland and have continued my studies by taking classes and workshops around the United States. Transitioning from a graphite pencil to colored pencils was a natural step. I have been working almost exclusively with colored pencils for the last 20 years and have learned to paint with them. In the early 80s I began to create images that reflected my deep love of mythology and the female psyche. Working as a freelance illustrator, I convinced art directors that colored pencil was a beautiful medium and secured jobs illustrating books, magazines, and calendars. As a classically trained artist, I love to draw, and this medium employs that skill. With colored pencil one can build complicated, translucent color through layering that creates the most intense, vibrant hues. It is a medium of great nuance and possibility and is particularly effective in rendering the subtleties of the human face my favorite subject. I also work in oils. I enjoy the rich color and the opportunity to work larger. Canvas, without glass, allows a more direct interface with the viewer. My work falls into the genre of magic realism. When working on a concept, I am searching for that element of magic possibility, that emotive look, scene, or situation which then becomes slightly altered reality. I want my realistic, yet magical treatment of figures and landscapes to carry a message that is interpreted by each viewer in their private heart and soul. I am driven to communicate through images that reflect womens inner stories.

Address: Susan Helen Strok, paintedpencil, 1019 Neon Forest Circle Longmont CO 80504 United States
Telephone: 303 772-0630
Fax: 303 772 0630
Website: http://www.paintedpencil.com/