ROCK SPRINGS — The next exhibit to open at the Community Fine Arts Center will be the work of Wyoming Sue Sommers.
“Close to Home” is a recent series of paintings, drawings and etchings in which the artist has captured the landscapes of Wyoming. The public is invited to meet the artist at the opening reception on Tuesday, July 2 nd from 5 to 7 p.m. at the CFAC.
“When painting the landscape, my mission is to interpret the topography of western Wyoming in a way that is modernist and personal,” said Sommers in her artist statement. “The West is not a genre to me; it is a real place of humbling scale and dynamism. Most of these works are responses to scenes near my home, places I experience every day and in every season. My approach is to move beyond what I see, to what I know about the place, the day, and my materials.”
The artist had an exhibit in 2008 at the CFAC which depicted the landscape as well, but she has continued to develop her inner vision of the land.
“These paintings are colorful and full of movement and layers,” said Debora Soule, CFAC director. “At first Sue’s work captures me through her use of color, and after I take a few moments, the depth of layers keeps me lingering, following the color changes and movement through the piece.”
Artist’s History
Sommers pursues painting, printmaking, and book art on a cattle ranch in Sublette County. She came to Wyoming in 1989, and after earning an MFA from UW, maintained a studio practice while working in publication design and copy editing. She now focuses full-time on her artwork and writing about art.
She has had many solo and two person exhibits as well as group exhibitions from Pinedale, Jackson, and Cheyenne, Wyoming, to Chicago, Illinois, and Miami, Florida. Recently “Close to Home” was shown in Jackson, WY. Sommers is also expanding her efforts into writing about art in the online magazine “Studio Wyoming Review.”
Being active in community and national art organizations, Sommers presently serves on the National Advisory Board for the University of Wyoming Art Museum and is a past member of the Pinedale Fine Arts Council. She also served as a planning partner with state and nonprofit entities for several CLICK conferences. CLICK is an annual professional development multiple-day conference for Wyoming visual artists.
Sommer’s Works on Display
Sommer’s artwork has been added to several public and private collections including St. John’s Hospital Foundation, Jackson, WY; Library of the Corcoran School of Art: Book Arts Collection, Washington, DC; Wyoming Department of State Parks and Cultural Resources; Laramie County Community College, Health Sciences Building, Cheyenne, WY; Sublette County Library, Pinedale, WY; Sublette County Rural Health Care Board, Marbleton-Big Piney Clinic; Community Fine Arts Center, Rock Springs, WY; and numerous private purchasers.
The public is invited to the reception July 2 nd , Tuesday evening and to visit through the month to see this exhibit as well as the collection owned by Sweetwater County School District #1. The center’s hours are Monday through Thursday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Friday and Saturday noon to 5 p.m.
The CFAC is a department of the Sweetwater County Library system in collaboration with Sweetwater County School District No. One and the City of Rock Springs.
