Suzanne McCourt

Biography

Suzanne McCourt loved growing up in the culturally rich and lush environment of the Pacific Northwest in Portland, Oregon. She developed a passion for athletics, academics, dance and a love of artistic and creative endeavors. While enjoying the early pleasures of splashing through mud puddles with umbrellas, she also basked in the summer solstice at her grandparents in California, sailing and swimming. Suzanne’s first acknowledgement as an artist came at the age of 6. Her mother submitted a drawing of Suzanne’s, which won 2nd place, and an adult bicycle, in an All-State drawing contest of her cat drinking milk, sponsored by Mayflower Milk and Oregon Dairy Farmer’s Association. She actually could not ride the bike for another 3 years, as it was too big! At 4 years old, her pre-school teacher, whom she remembers with great fondness, told her parents she predicted that someday Suzanne would become an artist. Suzanne always had a curiosity about life and everything in it. She accomplished much early in life, always juggling multiple roles and responsibilities. One day she realized a void existed as the well of her soul was dry. Her past roles of serving and supporting, which are still a part of her life today, were fulfilling other’s desires. She needed more joy, and so impulsively signed up for a college painting class and reconnected with her true self: The Artist. “Art fulfills my passion and destiny. I have been artistically enthralled in all-that-is-art, and growing ever since.” Suzanne creates impressionistic paintings starting with an expressive layering of paint with various media. She builds up multiple layers on canvas to create a history of marks and visual depth balancing solid artistic design concepts. She paints, scrapes, scumbles, and criss-crosses the canvas using large brushes and painters’ trowels to create rich textures. A variety of materials are used such as handmade papers, copies of sheet music, visual images, layering of acrylic & metallic paints, mediums and drawing materials. Says the artist, “And the paint starts to fly… onto whatever is around me… skin, clothing, floors, ceiling… even sometimes onto the walls! Everything is palette and canvas when my art is happening!” Suzanne helps images emerge by enhancing only what is necessary from previous layers of texture, abstract forms, shapes, colors, and line to engage the viewer’s curiosity, imagination, and participation in the painting’s character. The images wrap around the thick canvas profile, creating surprise and interest. She believes that this makes the experience engaging, enjoyable and enriching.