Here is a moment. All of the traits that sounded so good as a ‘child of the 60s’ have now come to be real for painter Susan Walker: peace, love, joy...and living in the moment. Capturing it. Painting it. Here it is.
Walker was shy as a child and used her books, her imagination, and her drawings as a way to retreat into her own world. She remembers spending hours drawing with her younger sister. Those were moments.
In high school, Walker excelled in math, science, literature...and art. As a high-achieving student, Walker looked forward to the one hour a day in her art class; she remembers that hour as a sanctuary and an escape from the taxing left-brain studies.
At the University of California Davis (UCD) as a pre-med student, Walker wanted to become a surgeon; however, in her first day in Chem 1A, at UCD, in a lecture hall of over 300 students, Walker clearly remembers thinking, “I could do this, but I don’t want to.” She walked out of class. That was a moment.
Walker went on to immerse herself in the UCD Art Department, studying under the great American artist Wayne Thiebaud. Thiebaud was a taskmaster, but also a detailed encourager. He never used a teaching assistant and showed up every day in class. Walker still has all her sketchbooks from that era, moving them across the country, and back, as a precious, endless source of inspiration and information. Through his tutelage, Walker focused her pinpoint energy on learning how to draw and paint.
Walker’s oil paintings are recognized by her distinctive representational style that combines energetic brush strokes with a counterpoint of intricate detail. She has exhibited widely throughout the Pacific Northwest in solo and group exhibitions. Her work is on display in hospital campuses, corporate offices and private residences across the country. Walker’s commissioned work adorns the walls of personal homes in Alabama, California, Kansas, Tennessee, Texas, Montana, New Jersey, Arizona, Colorado, Michigan, Missouri, Utah and Washington, capturing and preserving intimate, cherished moments in time.
As a lifelong collaborator and educator, Walker’s involvement in her local, state, and national community of artists is part of her ‘thrive’. She serves on the Board of Directors for the Women Painters of Washington and has achieved Signature Member status with American Women Artists. Locally, Walker collaborates with three FAA certified drone pilots, a professional photographer, a studio assistant, and a frame shop owner.
When not in the studio, Walker places high priority on spending time with her family and playing competitive tennis. A large, diverse family provides her pure joy and pride, while tennis allows unique opportunities to apply the same sense of geometry she utilizes in her artwork on the court—all while providing an important physical balance to her days standing in front of the canvas.