Susan Christie
Tranquil Light II - Sumi-e at the Cutting Edge
May 1 - June 9, 2004
About the artist Susan Christie
Susan Christie (b. 1942) developed an early interest in Oriental philosophies and aesthetics. She discovered Brush, Ink and Paper while attending the University of Minnesota. In 1970, she began her decade-long study of classical sumi-e and calligraphy. Christie eventually took over the teaching after Ms. Ito moved to Washington, D.C.
Between 1980 and 1984, Christie studied with several other painters, including Chin Khee Chee. She began exhibiting her work and teaching sumi-e at the Minnesota Museum of Art and the Minneapolis Museum of Art. She studied the "Anatomy of the Mountain" with Wucius Wong and worked with him in the production of a video on his work for the Minneapolis Museum of Art.
1984 brought an invitation to Hangzhou, China, as part of the first group of Westerners to attend the Zhejiang Academy of Art, one of China’s two oldest art schools. There, Christie studied with some of the most important Master Painters and Calligraphers in the country, including Zhuo He Jun, Wong Dong Ling, Wenda Gu. On her return trip, Christie made an extended stay in Japan where she visited Kyoto and stayed in a Buddhist Temple. Over the next few years, some of the artists Christie met in China traveled to Minneapolis and painted with her. Among them, Zhuo He Jun was especially influential for Christie’s work.
Soon after returning to the US, Christie made her first visit to New Mexico, which added a new dimension to her work. After her experience in the Orient , her ink paintings had evolved from classical to experimental. Now, they are filled with colors. She studied American art history extensively and traveled to museums all over the country, as her paintings moved further towards abstraction.
In 1994, Christie moved to New Mexico and began an intense schedule of solo exhibitions, while spending summers away in Montana concentrated on painting. In 2001, she moved to Ennis, Montana where she continues to work and teach from a studio she shares with her husband, William Brown, a nature photographer.
The current show features
a spectrum of Christie's works, ranging from large abstract paintings from the
mid-1990's to recent works completed in 2000. Her 'Luminosity' series explores how opacity and transparency could be juxtaposed using the basic elements of ink, color and
paper.
"Luminosity No. 1" was inspired by the glowing neon light art of Dan Flavin. No. 2 was inspired by Walter De Maria's environmental installation "The Lightning Fields".
"Luminosity No. 3" was inspired by Richard Tuttle's work. And of
course, "Thinking about Zhuo He Jun" was a tribute to one of her most
influential colleagues.
In conjunction with the show, Christie will present a lecture entitled "Oriental Aesthetics in Contemporary Painting - An Artist's Perspective" at the Santa Fe Woman's Club on May 8. In addition, Christie and Murata will share their insight in a 1-day workshop entitled "Novel Application of Sumi-e for Contemporary Painting" at the Santa Fe Art Institute on May 10.
Click on images to view selected pieces
To order call 505-988-8072, see Inquiry/Order
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Susan Christie "Abstraction No. 1" Sold Sum ink on paper, mounted on silk, unframed 20"(in) x 7.5'(ft)
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Susan Christie "Abstraction No. 2" Sum ink on paper, mounted on silk, unframed 20"(in) x 7.5'(ft)
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Susan Christie "Abstraction No. 3" Sum ink on paper, mounted on silk, unframed 20"(in) x 7.5'(ft)
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Susan Christie "Brush, Ink and Paper" sumi ink on paper 7.5"x 5" Sold
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Susan Christie "Landscape" sumi ink on paper 4.5"x 8" Sold
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Susan Christie "Thinking About Zhuo He Jun" sumi ink on paper 8.5"x 5" Sold
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Susan Christie "Luminosity No. 3" Ink & mineral pigments on paper 11.5"x 8.5" Sold
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Susan Christie "Luminosity No. 1" Ink & mineral pigments on paper 11.5"x 8.5" Sold
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Susan Christie "Luminosity No. 2"Ink & mineral pigments on paper 11.5"x 8.5" Sold
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Susan Christie "Aspen, Full Moon, Reflection" Ink, gouache, mineral pigments on paper 27"x 54" Sold |
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Exhibitions
1995 "Works from 1990-1995", Solo exhibition, Douglas-Baker Gallery, Minneapolis, MN 1997 "The 34th Annual Sumi-e Society of America Juried Exhibition", The Tweed Museum of Art, Duluth, MN 1997 "Trees, Volume I", Solo exhibition, Douglas-Baker Gallery, Minneapolis, MN 1998 "Monothon 12", Site Santa Fe, Santa Fe, NM 1999 "Monothon 13", Site Santa Fe, Santa Fe, NM 1999 "Second Annual foca Artists Exhibition", LewAllen Contemporary Art, Santa Fe, NM 1999 "101 Cups, 101 Artists" invitational, Karan Ruhlen Gallery, Santa Fe, NM 1999 "In a Blue Moon", Solo exhibition, Douglas-Baker Gallery, Minneapolis, MN 1999 "Between the Trees", Solo exhibition, Hand Artes Gallery, Truchas, NM 2000 "Monothon 14", The College of Santa Fe Visual Arts Center, Santa Fe, NM 2000 "Third Annual foca Artists Exhibition", LewAllen Contemporary Art, Santa Fe, NM 2001 "Monothon 15", Site Santa Fe, Santa Fe, NM 2001 "On the Edge", Solo exhibition, Segreto Contemporary Art, Santa Fe, NM 2002 "Monothon 16", Site Santa Fe, Santa Fe, NM 2002 "Bella Figura", Segreto Contemporary Art, Santa Fe, NM 2003 Annual Juried Exhibition and Auction, The Art Museum of Missoula, MT 2004 "Tranquil Light II", two-person exhibition, Touching Stone Gallery, Santa Fe, New Mexico
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Selected Publications 2002 "Japanese Ink Painting: Beginners Guide to Sumi-e" by Susan Frame features a number of original paintings by Susan Christie.
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