Artwork copyright Susan Christian. Photo courtesy of the artist.

Chalks, 1986

Susan Christian
American (born 1943)

Location: Morgan Middle School, Ellensburg

About the Artwork

Chalks is an abstract landscape painting by artist Susan Christian. Inspired by the natural landscape of Puget Sound, it shows three hill-like forms floating on blue water. The artist describes the hills as having different characteristics and personalities. She notes, “Hills to me are very human. They have solid bodies like human beings do. They’re heavy, they obey the laws of gravity. They’re very various: they can be any color texture- they can be hairy or bald, craggy or soft, they can be made of any kind of earth stuff…They seems like three kids in a family to me- the confident oldest one, the needing-to-be-seen middle one, the shy little one.”

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

About the Artist

Northwest artist Susan Christian creates abstract and landscape paintings, employing a variety of materials and a diverse visual vocabulary while balancing color and form. The inspiration for some of her work can be traced back to her travels in Vietnam in the late 1990s, where she became "smitten" by the linearity of the landscape's "marks." Christian is based in Oyster Bay in Olympia, Washington, where she converted an old oyster factory into her home and studio.