ArtAccess , Susanne Dannenberg

Small Group Workshops and Individual Sessions in Encaustic, Abstract and Intuitive Mixed Media Painting are available in a Serene Country Setting in Saanich, Victoria, BC.

For Workshop Scehdule, Private Sessions and more Info,please Contact Susanne or see this Website under "UPCOMING EVENTS" OR GO TO: www.artaccess.ca

'City Angel', 2012, encaustic mixed media on wood

'Holy Crow', 2013, encaustic mixed media on plaster & wood

'Compassion', 2012, encaustic mixed media on wood

'Lucky Eight', 2012, encaustic mixed media on wood


ARTIST BIO:

Susanne Dannenberg, aka Suda, was born in Germany to an architect father and artist mother. After coming to Canada in 1980, Susanne raised two children who are now both grown and involved with music. A few years ago she semi-retired from a 25-year career in social work to follow her passion for the arts.

Susanne has always had an interest in photography and now incorporates her photographic images with encaustic and mixed media, including acrylics, inks, oils, natural milk paints, pastels, papers and pure beeswax.

Although she has attended a number of classes with various teachers, Susanne has no formal art training. However, she has learned from those who have gone before her as well as from her peers. Susanne has come to know that each person she encounters is her teacher, especially those with whom she makes art, and for that she is eternally grateful.

Lately, Susanne has become more engaged with larger scale abstract paintings. As a result of observing her creative process and that of others, Susanne believes that intuition is a key part to painting. In her view it is a natural ability that is available to everyone and a skill anyone can cultivate. At the same time, she realizes some common challenges that can block the free expression of truthful art from the heart.

In her workshops on intuitive and abstract painting, she tries to address these blocks by offering various painting exercises that involve meditation, breath, music and art techniques that bypass the mind. She also teaches a self-critique process that is separate from the painting process and helps the artist grow.

She writes about her own painting process:

"My current work is a reminder to let go of outcomes. I had desired outcomes to start with, of course, but the outcome is no longer as important as my desire to enjoy the moment. I assist the work in creating itself, allowing things to happen instead of forcing them. I like to work quickly to bypass self-consciousness and thus avoid premature judgments and mediated choices that are too cautious. I allow the painting to lead me, even if I don't know where it is taking me. Actually, I love the surprise and excitement that comes from seeing the 'accidental' formations of paint running together, or textures that come up from layering, pasting and mark-making. I try to accept and respond to the transformative nature of the painting process and suspend expectations about the outcome. I never really know what a piece will look like, until it is finished. It is a free-flowing process that reminds me to relax and trust. It reminds me that we never need to worry. If I find that I don't like how something turns out, I can simply paint over it and begin again."

By being with what is in the moment, art has become for Susanne part of her spiritual path. Her art practice is now a vehicle that allows Susanne to transcend time where her creative source and the divine energy become one.
It is her intention to share this intuitive knowledge with others who also want to awaken themselves to the gifts within them and access their creative energy.

According to her students, Susanne facilitates fun and safe workshops where people can rediscover their inner artist, remove barriers to their creative expression and reclaim their imagination by trusting their intuition.