Sue Gomen Honnell has always had three passions in life, family, art and music.  When she was growing up her parents traveled extensively throughout the West Coast.  She would take in all the sights and often draw or paint what she saw.  Her father made sure that she always had a plentiful supply of paper, pencils and crayons. On exhibit at Red Chair Gallery thru March.

“I love to watch something that has inspired me come to life on a blank canvas or paper and I still experience a sense of excitement and anticipation when I begin a new painting,” explains Honnell. Although her primary subject is usually done in a more realistic style, her backgrounds are often loose and luminous. She loves to explore color, shapes and  shadows in order to express a mood, feeling or special moment.  You will find her paintings are vibrant and expressive and reflect her bright spirit and love of creation.  She feels blessed to live in an area that offers so much inspiration.

After a career in the music field working for Yamaha Corp in both management and teaching, she finds there is a strong similarity between music and art. Both combine expression and structure, while conveying a deeper spiritual and emotional content. Her work has been juried into numerous competitions and Art Fairs and has received many first place awards including “People’s Choice, Best of Show and Superintendent’s Award.

Her paintings can be found in homes of collectors throughout Oregon, California, Washington, Canada and other parts of the nation.

Honnell finds joy not only in the process of creating a watercolor, but also in sharing her love of nature with others through her paintings.  If you visit her current show at the Red Chair Gallery, you will have the opportunity to experience many of her works that illustrate the beauty of Oregon.