Meet Susan Kinsella of Susan Kinsella Art
I was born and raised in St. Louis, MO. In 1983, I graduated from the University of Detroit with a BS in Chemistry and in 1987, graduated from St. Louis University School of Medicine. I moved to Atlanta in 1987 for residency at Emory University School of Medicine and fell in love with the South.
Painting and creating have been part of my life for as long as I can remember. Being entirely self-taught, my journey to the present has had glories, bumps, pauses and lengthy stalls. In the early ‘90s, I read Betty Edward’s Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain and was astonished by my right brain. I’d lived in my left-brain for so many years I had no idea my creativity was seeking expression.
My speciality is Emergency Medicine and life as an Emergency Medicine Physician is difficult and exciting, filled with joy and despair and it is the impact of these extreme contradictions dramatically impact my artistic approach.
Life, as it is wont to do, intervened and there were several years when I didn’t paint at all. When we moved into our home, I started by buying old furniture, stripping it and painting it. It didn’t take me long to realize that stripping furniture is really hard work. I moved on to painting on canvas and found how fun and rewarding this was. And then in January 2016, something magical happened. I had a dream (and I am definitely NOT that person). It woke me from sleep and guided me to buy a cake-icing spatula and to paint with it. The very next day, I bought one and my joyful, peaceful, therapeutic and creative journey to the present day began. After practicing for over 25 years, I retired from Emergency Medicine in October 2017 and began painting full time, committing daily to artistic expression.
I am an artist….and it is very weird to say that!! Painting provides balance in my life and is a working meditation. It quiets my mind and soothes my soul. My work is tranquil and peaceful, quiet and serene and the phrase I find most descriptive of my work is: “the absence of chaos”. And in this world of chaos, don’t we all need a place of respite?? It is the quiet crispness of my paintings that sets me apart and makes my work very recognizable.
If an artist’s work can be categorized, mine would be considered ‘contemporary realism/minimalism’ and I would add….’with a touch of magic!’ I use color and texture and perspective, and a scene cast in light and shadow to create powerful imagery with a sense of peace and calm. Each painting is an emotional self-portrait and I feel most validated when someone comes to a sudden stop in front of one of my works and gasps in recognition of the emotion it elicits.
hmmmmmm…….this is a very difficult question to answer. I think there are two distinct varieties of success for a creative person. The first is extremely personal and comes from the soul. For me, when working on a painting, there is a definite moment of pure joy when I know it is finished and I am proud of the painting. The second is when a collector stands in front of one of my paintings and absolutely loves it and must have it…. and when this happens, the joy is overwhelming!
