(Liquid Motion, giclee print from original pastel by Susan Luckey Higdon)
Makin’ It Local is honored to feature regionally acclaimed Central Oregon Artist Susan Luckey Higdon. The exhibition and print sale run from July 26 through August 20, 2024. An Artists in Attendance reception is scheduled for the Sisters Fourth Friday art walk on July 26, 2024, from 4pm to 7pm.
About Susan Luckey Higdon:
A lifelong Oregonian, Susan Luckey Higdon is well-known for capturing the essence of Oregon’s dramatic landscapes, from mountain peaks to wild rivers, especially the high Cascade lakes and streams. Her paintings depict the complex interactions of color and pattern in what she describes as natural abstractions.
“Color, light, texture, shapes…I want to communicate what I see in a way that captures the spirit of the place, showing accurate mood and detail, but working toward simplicity.”
Over 30 years ago, Susan began painting with soft pastels in stolen moments while working full-time as a graphic designer in an advertising agency and raising two young children. Her motivation was to do something completely creative for herself, working intuitively and moving color around for sheer joy.
In the beginning, because she didn’t have a studio, Susan used soft pastels because of the pure, vivid colors, which gave immediate, gratifying results. They also fit her method of laying colors next to each other to play upon each other rather than blending. Later, moving to acrylics allowed her to work larger and removed the need for glass over the artwork. She developed a technique of using acrylic paints on cradled birch board, adding thick color, and then rubbing it off. Scratching and working the medium quickly to achieve an impressionistic effect with rich depth, building up layers, and adding detail, the final image emerges.
A founding member of Tumalo Art Co., an artist-run gallery in Bend’s Old Mill District in its 20th year, Susan was the signature artist for the Deschutes River Conservancy’s RiverFeast event for 11 years and has been featured in Italian flyfishing magazine H2O, Bend Magazine and a segment on OPB’s Oregon Art Beat, among others. She is an invited artist to the High Desert Museum’s prestigious juried, annual exhibit Art in the West. Her underwater fish series was displayed in McCormick & Schmick restaurants across the country, and a long list of images have been installed in corporate settings and medical centers. Susan’s paintings have been juried into prestigious shows like the Pastel 100 and by jurors such as Wolf Kahn and are collected widely. Her greeting card line, which began in 2000 and features panoramic views of iconic Central Oregon scenes, is still available throughout the area.
You can view and purchase Susan’s giclee prints exclusively in Sisters at Makin’ It Local. For more information visit makinitlocal.com, @makinitlocal and @susanluckeyhigdon.
Color, Light, Texture, And Shapes
Color, Light, Texture, And Shapes features nine newly released giclee prints by Susan Luckey Higdon.
Exhibition and sale: July 26-August 20, 2024
Location: Makin’ It Local: 281 W Cascade Avenue, Sisters, Oregon 97759
Hours: Daily 10am to 6pm, Sunday 10 am to4 pm
More info: makinitlocal.com, @makinitlocal, 541-904-4722
Artist Reception: Friday, July 26, 2024, Fourth Friday Art Walk — 4-7pm
Artist in Attendance: Meet Susan Luckey Higdon.
Refreshments, light hors d’oeuvres, and appetizers by Jackson Higdon of The Luckey’s Woodsman (Sisters).
Summer Hours: (June 1-August 31, 2024) open daily, Monday-Saturday: 10am-6pm, Sunday: 10am-4pm.
About Makin’ It Local:
We are Makin’ It Local and celebrating Oregon. art, photography, fine crafts, jewelry, ceramics, gifts and more. Featuring artwork by Kathy Deggendorfer, Megan Marie Myers, Lindsay Gilmore, Rachel Dantona (Hikerbooty), James Parsons (Extreme Oregon), Pete Alport, Christian Murillo, Letter Press by Quail Lane Press and Green Bird Press, Julie Hamilton, Sheila Dunn, Susan Luckey Higdon, Kara Frampton (KF Stoneware), Glass art by Cheryl Chapman of Silly Dog Art Glass and many more! Stop by today — seriously great art. Makin’ It Local is at 281 W Cascade Avenue in downtown Sisters.
makinitlocal.com • @makinitlocal • 541-904-4722