My work is a visual collection of emotion.

All art surfaces are rich in color and texture, coming from my emotional, intellectual and spiritual states of being. My work is free from the boundaries of traditional picture making; thus, it is easier to explore my own psyche. Abreaction, a Greek term, first used by ancient Greek dramatists to describe the purging or cathartic effect that the release of emotion gives one, is an important part of my process. The unleashed, splattering of gestural paint strokes on my huge un-gessoed and un-stretched canvases, which was so much a part of the release of angst in Abstract Expressionism, are evident in my own work and combined with a textural layering of paint, sand, string, discarded drawings, lead to expressive mark making in meaningful contexts evident in this body of art. That the subconscious is at work, there is no doubt. These paintings were not made with only sheer logic in mind. Rather, painting is a journey, a process for me, that is almost scared and where I strive to prepare my subconscious for painting in a ritual which may involve a more pensive/meditative state of being. All of these artworks were informed by literature about people who have suffered trauma and their journey to survival. These artworks strive to heal and to evoke positive feelings in the viewer.

Teaching:
Howard Payne University; 2 sections Art for Elementary teachers, Contemporary Crafts, Ceramics 1, Drawing 1 and 2, Cultural Arts Abroad, Digital Arts, Art Appreciation (distance learning).
Central Texas College; Art Appreciation (Distance Education) and Face to Face, Drawing 1, Design 1, Art History 1, Painting 1, Watercolor, Fort Hood, Marble Falls, and Lampassas campuses.
Ranger College; Distance learning Professor for Art Appreciation.

​Education:
PhD, Studio Art Research, (completed 1 year), Monash University,Melbourne,Australia(2009).
M.A.E, Art Education,(completed 21 hours) at Texas Tech University (2016).
M.F.A, Painting, Georgia Southern University (2007).
M.A, Art studio, N.Y.U, Venice, Italy (one semester 1984).
B.F.A, Painting, The School of the Art Institute of Chicago (1980).
B.F.A, Visual Communications, The University of Illinois, Champagne-Urban (1978).

​www.susanharmonabstractartist.com
http://www.susanharmon.org

Contact Susan at susyharm@hotmail.com or 316-226-5717