SUSIE HYER

Evergreen, Colorado

Susie Hyer is an award-winning artist who has been working professionally since 1976. Her work has appeared in numerous galleries and national exhibitions and hangs in many private and corporate collections. Susie was honored with an award from her alma mater, Moravian College, for achievement in the field of art. Her work has appeared in numerous books and publications, including Art of the West Magazine, Fine Art Connoisseur, Plein Air Magazine, and Southwest Art, and is represented by a number of galleries along Colorado’s Front Range and the Southwest.

When I think about the Grand Canyon, a lot of things come to the surface of my awareness.

There are memories: spectacular sunrises and sunsets; elk moving through my campsite; the midday light that washes the canyon of distance, contrast, and color; and the early or late day light which includes all those elements.

There is sound: the calls of birds overhead while I’m painting; the sounds of squirrels scurrying to and fro; the coyotes calling to each other in the night; the rain falling softly (or loudly) on my tent; the sound of the rapids on the river.

There are emotions: the anticipation of the long journey here; the joy of seeing friends I am bonded to because of this place; the happiness I feel when painting or hiking here; the concern for the environmental impact of overuse on an international treasure.

There are smells: the scent of ponderosas, pinyons, and cedars in the wooded areas on the rim; the sage when my jeans brush against it as I’m looking for just the right view to paint; the dry earth baking in the hot sun; the exhaust of the west rim buses shuttling tourists.

All this is the canyon in my relative perception. It is a blended concoction of poetry, peace, and panic. This studio painting, while based on a photograph I took from the rim a few years back, cannot help but be a product of a relative perception I have acquired from many experiences here. In short, it is a fantasy. But it’s an honest one.

Bright Spot | 30x40, oil