Artwork copyright Susan Bennerstrom. Photo courtesy of Washington State Arts Commission, 2017.

Artwork copyright Susan Bennerstrom. Photo courtesy of Washington State Arts Commission, 2017.

Artwork copyright Susan Bennerstrom. Photo courtesy of the artist, 2021.

Artwork copyright Narsiso Martinez. Photo courtesy of the curator, Cozette Phillips, 2021.

Near Cashmere, 1985

Susan Bennerstrom
(American, born 1949)

Location: Ridgeview Elementary, Yakima

ABOUT THE ARTWORK

Artist Susan Bennerstrom created the colorful landscape Near Cashmere after a camping trip in Eastern Washington. Observation and memory shaped the composition. She also took photographs and pencil sketches on location. She notes, “I use the photographs not in order to produce literal copies, but to aid my memory and provide a basis from which I can invent and interpret.”

This artwork was acquired for the State Art Collection in partnership with Yakima School District.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Bellingham, Washington-based artist Susan Bennerstrom creates paintings that explore the "transformative power" of light. Rather than using figures to tell a story, she notes, "I prefer to let light and shadow imply the narrative and carry the emotional weight."

Bennerstrom studied at Western Washington University in Bellingham, Northwestern Washington.