The myriad techniques employed in my creative process are as varied as the themes that inspire me. While layering opaque paints and transparent glazes to create depth, my signature darks from the blend of my favourite transparent colours will frequently appear as the base. Keeping the palette relatively limited, I work with neutrals derived from the opposites on the colour wheel, balancing the values, temperature, shapes, forms and textures to create pieces that range from subtle monochromatic semi-abstract expressions to dynamic, purely abstract visual raptures of saturated colours.
Vancouver born artist Susie Cipolla first got a taste of success in the art world at the age of seven, when she won a bicycle in a Dairyland colouring contest. After that, art languished on life’s back burner while she finished school and pursued a career in physiotherapy. A driven and astute businesswoman, she established and managed a group of physiotherapy clinics. In 2009, a major shift in her life took place when, at the urging of a friend, she took a painting workshop with Brian Atyeo. Discovering a new passion, she closed the chapter of her career in healthcare and commenced the life of an artist, dedicating the following six years to continuous honing of her skills, doing research, attending workshops and classes with many accomplished artists and taking instructions from contemporary masters and notables such as Robert Genn and Mike Svob, with Brian Atyeo remaining as her most influential mentor. She lives with her family on a rural property in the Pemberton Valley, B.C., where she actively creates in her large studio. There she also provides learning opportunities for other artists by hosting guest instructors and sharing the knowledge and passion with the next generation of creatives.
Working primarily in acrylic medium, her subject matter varies from the poetic, visually textured abstract and semi-abstract themes, to colour saturated representational interpretations of landscapes, eclectic cars and bicycles, marine themes and wildlife of the Pacific Northwest region. Frequent appearances of earthy red underpainting weaves the common thread through the wide range of subjects she explores. Marked by her recognizable style, Susie’s paintings have found enthusiastic audiences and a strong collector base across Canada and abroad.
Susie is an award-winning Senior Signature Member (SFCA) and a past Board member of the Federation of Canadian Artists. Her passion for contributing to the arts and culture in the Sea to Sky region casts her into the role of a founding member of The Whistler Out Of Bounds Artist Group.
Susie Cipolla is represented in Canada by galleries in British Columbia, Alberta and Quebec and we are honoured to represent her here on Vancouver Island.
