Susan E. Klinger

Original Pastel Drawings

Interested in art from a very young age, Susan Klinger pursued her dream of becoming an art teacher. At the same time, she wanted to be the teacher who practiced what she preached, so she continued to paint and exhibit throughout her teaching career. Now retired from public school teaching, Susan is enjoying time for travel and finding new sources of inspiration for her art.

Susan began painting in watercolor but made the transition to pastel many years ago while painting en plein air at an Amish farm. Pastel was easier to haul out into the fields. “The first time I worked in pastel, I was intrigued by the direct application of pigment to the surface. No palette, no mixing, just direct application of the pigment.” A holdover from her teaching days, she will mix it up by painting in gouache, acrylic, and even oil from time to time. Although her mainstay is realism, an occasional diversion into abstraction can help clear the cobwebs after an extended series.