"Team work, planning, and communication were principles used in the paintings of Fluid Mechanics I and II. Working on large scale pieces, with a disease flare, means working everything out ahead of time to get a painting from start to finish. For example, it took ~2 weeks to mix the paints to the right density and consistency. The application of the paint (and getting the proper consistency), that was used in these pieces, also took time. I scheduled parts of these works, so that my friend Annette could help me with some of the fluid polymer addition, canvas board movement, and holding the heavy boards. We had a great time doing these pieces! I am never sure what will happen to the dried paint when resin and/or acrylic polymers are used, because the dried result is always a little different. Afterward, I use dilute color used in the piece, and paint some of the effects that you see. The inspiration for these pieces were the physics of fluids, and how paint itself can act as a resistant material in fluid mechanics (expansion and density). It is never a perfect process. I hope our clients will enjoy the result!"
- Suzanne Hellums
Prints are produced on demand on stretched canvas, acrylic plexi, or giclee fine art paper in a variety of sizes here in the United States.
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Anchorage, AK
Once a biochemist and molecular biologist, Suzanne now uses a scientific approach to create her paintings. Art has become a way to combine her interests, which allows her to cope with chronic pain and mobility issues from Crohn's disease and Ankylosing spondylitis. Suzanne often uses resin, acrylics, micas, and polymers; to create new consistencies coupled with traditional art materials. This process informs the line, design, and flow of her paintings. She writes:
"Every painting I make has a scientific process, technique, or inspiration to it. Art connects me to science.”
Suzanne combines her favorite elements of science and nature, as she writes: “I imagine a landscape or object, and what it would look like if it were taken down to its basic scientific components. I find the marriage of science and the beauty of nature most challenging to paint, but also makes for the most interesting pieces.”
“My autoimmune diseases can limit my painting frequency. I put my joys, love, thoughts, and experiences onto my substrates and canvases. I want the viewer to find my awe towards life, while seeing the hope I carry with me.”
Suzanne received a B.S. degree in Clinical Laboratory Science, from the University of Mississippi, and an M.S. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, from Mississippi State University. She was a medical researcher until her health prevented her from returning to the lab. Being in New Mexico and Alaska has allowed her the mobility to resume painting; something she began as watercolorist during her childhood.
Suzanne has lived in diverse locations from California, Tennessee, Mississippi, New Mexico, Florida and Alaska. As a result of moving often, her family has remodeled seven homes. Suzanne’s current home was designed around a particular piece of granite that now makes up the kitchen counter. Her series “Granite Inspired”, featured at ArtLifting, was inspired by the earthy tones of the stone.
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