Tea Party with Susan Rohrback

Susan Rohrback

Painting gives me peace, a challenge and fulfillment. What I choose to paint is very representative of who I am and also where I live. I love to paint scenes from our ranch and our Northwest area from the many photos I take and Plein Air. I have painted many portraits through the years and keep my love of painting people. I always try to be ready with a pencil in hand or my colors fresh on a palette to express what I see around me. Because I paint in many mediums I like to say I paint in “color” when asked my favorite. I am a native to the Northwest, the mountains, valleys, nooks and crannies. I love the outdoors and spend much of my time in the woods, a garden or tending livestock. This has shaped my life with a yen to paint what I have been living. I have a degree in advertising from Spokane Community College. Except I soon found I had a skill to portray people and took to the road for a 15 year adventure at art shows all over the Northwest drawing and painting portraits. I exhibited and sold many landscapes, western art and also did quite a lot of humorous illustrations. In a lot of years there has been the chance to explore my skills and the market with variety. In 1985 I began teaching. I’ve taught art for the City Parks and Rec at Corbin Art Center and then for the Community Colleges of Spokane for the Act2 Program for 26 years. I find teaching and sharing art very fulfilling. for 10 years I coordinated a Plein Air group and scouted some awesome sights to paint. There were about 12-20 artists that participated then. I illustrated for WHCA, which is the Washington Health Care Association, based in Olympia. I did their promotions, calendars, Christmas cards and spot art for 15 years. I am currently and have been a continuous member for the Spokane Watercolor Society for 20 plus years. I have participated frequently in show and stood as an officer and as a board member over the years. I find having the vision of an artist to choose my subject matter and how to express what is in my mind’s eye so satisfying. A child once said “First I think. Then I paint the think.” Just do that and it’s easy.