SUE GERARD

Slow And Steady

BEFORE BEYOND THE BRUSHES, SUE’S ONLY ART BACKGROUND WAS IN PHOTOGRAPHY AND COMPOSITING. FALLING IN LOVE WITH REVIEWER AND STUDENT PAINTINGS, SUE DECIDED THAT SHE COULD PAINT TOO!

Joining in September 2020, Sue told herself to go slow and steady to learn to paint. That mantra has been one that has followed her throughout her painting journey and has proven time and time again to help her win the proverbial race.

If Sue could give anyone advice, she’d tell them to just try and play with it. In this series, she struggled with finding the balance between being too photographic versus being too loose and painterly. Trying different things and not being worried about getting each painting perfect on the first try kept her calm and collected.

Sue said, “ It doesn’t have to be right the first time, and you learn more in the journey of the painting than the end results .” Definitely something we can all strive to remember, especially in the thick of a challenge!

However, just because it is a challenge doesn’t mean it is bad. Sue enjoyed working on the feathers and trying to get just the right balance of all the beautiful colors and textures. And her enjoyment of balancing out colors actually comes from a challenge. Sue struggled with the charcoal lessons, but once she got them down pat, learning about values helped her in the colorful paintings too!

For the birds, her color scheme was to use complementary colors and really make the birds stand out. Brushy Goodness did the trick in getting them all put together.

Now, you might be asking at this point, why birds?

Well, Sue loves birds and wanted to share her love through painting. She ended up enjoying painting the first one so much that she started a series.

So how does the dog fit in?

Love is still the answer. When her neighbors lost their dog in a storm, Sue painted them this memorial portrait. Each brushstroke has been imbued with a sense of awe, love, and support that only Sue could provide.

That distinctiveness in style is probably what drew Sue to admire the paintings of Norman Rockwell. Just as he reflected the culture of the time, Sue strives to reflect herself in her art. Her brush of choice to accomplish this is none other than Brushy Goodness. While it is a crowd favorite, Sue has found that so many different things can be created with it.

Slow and steady, she has learned and pushed through every challenge. When her mantra can’t wave away the frustration, country or instrumental music come in to lull it away. It’s because of her commitment that with each passing day, Sue is winning her race one step at a time.

Her paintings demonstrate that love prevails and slow and stead gains the victory!

SUE IS A PHOTOGRAPHER WHO LIVES IN A SMALL TOWN IN EASTERN IOWA. SHE LOVES ANIMALS AND LEARNING TO PAINT, BUT HER ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE IS WHAT SHINES THROUGH THE MOST. HTTPS://WWW.SUEGERARDPHOTOGRAPHY.COM