Artwork copyright Susan Bennerstrom. Photo courtesy of Marysville School District.

Camano Island Road, 1985

Susan Bennerstrom
(American, born 1949)

Location: Marysville Middle School, Marysville

ABOUT THE ARTWORK

Camano Island Road by Susan Bennerstrom is a pastel drawing based on a photograph of a blustery day. She notes, "All of my landscapes are based on observations made while travelling – in Washington, in the U.S., in foreign countries. I take numerous photographs and do quick pencil sketches, but don't touch the pastels until I return to the studio. 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." Camano Island is located in North Puget Sound between the mainland city of Stanwood and Whidbey Island.

This artwork was acquired for the State Art Collection in partnership with Marysville 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.