For the Love of Trees
Sue Rauschenfels, Mixed Media
EXHIBIT July 12 – September 28, 2024
OPEN HOUSE July 12, 5 – 7pm
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Sue Rauschenfels’ “For the Love of Trees” paintings and mixed media collages are created from the heart and rooted, grown and developed from a childhood spent exploring outdoor play in the woods while building strong lifelong relationships with her 6 sisters and neighborhood friends.
Her rendering of this new trees series using vibrant color, mark making, textural elements of collage and mixed media to tell their story, is her way of honoring and thanking them for their gifts – impacting people positively socially, mentally and supporting healthy human interaction.
This exhibit was made possible in part by the Arrowhead Regional Arts Council through an Individual Artist Project Grant FY24 and by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from Arrowhead Regional Arts Council thanks to appropriations from the Minnesota State Legislature’s general and arts and cultural heritage funds.”
ARTIST STATEMENT
Sue uses vibrant colors, markmaking, and varied textures in her tree paintings by incorporating mixed media and storytelling elements. With this new series she has immersed herself and experimented with new art mediums using oil and cold wax. Her watercolor birch trees on masa paper using black Sumi ink is a technique she adores and has pushed the texture and abstract representation forward. She often uses collage papers, many handmade in her acrylic/mixed media paintings capturing a bold, vibrant spiritual story.
We all know that survival of human beings is oxygen and is made available by trees. We have all heard the science as to why trees are life. But beyond that, Sue believes trees have an amazing power to impact people positively socially and mentally. They calm and rejuvenate our senses and refresh our souls in healing ways. Often as individuals we seek to surround ourselves with trees to recharge and center ourselves. We travel in groups to forests and parks to socialize, connect, and strengthen our relationships. Human connection with trees is a vital component to sustaining life and creating supportive healthy human interaction.
It is evident that Sue often paints her trees in a row, together standing tall. As people, we too need to stand together, heal and deepen our relationships to protect each other and our communities to sustain healthy social human connections.
ARTIST BIO
Sue Rauschenfels
Sue Rauschenfels grew up in a small town in northern MN in the 1960’s where she spent a lot of time outdoors exploring. Nature was an important part of Sue’s childhood where she learned to play and create with her six sisters and neighborhood friends; building forts, climbing trees, and learning to navigate relationships. She has never lost her love for being in the woods and it is not surprising she enjoys painting trees from the heart and honoring them for their gifts.
Sue’s love of nature, color, people and whimsy are often captured in her work. She enjoys telling a story in her artwork which is often as she sees things or dreams of how things should be rather than the realistic narrative. She is currently exploring abstract art and enjoying the challenge and excitement of learning to stretch and express her art voice.
Sue began painting fulltime in 2009 after retiring from the University of Minnesota Duluth. She is self taught but has taken art classes and workshops locally, nationally, and internationally and is grateful to study and to connect with creative artistic mentors for inspiration and for support. She is a member of Lake Superior Watercolor Society, Artists of Minnesota, Lake Superior Abstract Group and Arrowhead Artists.
Her artwork is represented in several gallery venues regionally and exhibited nationally in various juried exhibit offerings.