Valley resident inspired by nature’s beauty
Becoming an artist has been an exciting journey for Susan Fahrni.
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It is the beauty of nature that inspires artist Susan Fahrni to create vivid representations of the landscapes around her.
Although Fahrni has only been painting for a few years, her realistic representations have hung in exhibits and locations throughout the region. She is currently working on works for Pynelogs.
“I really never saw myself getting into art, but it has always been part of my life,” said Fahrni.
The majority of Fahrni’s works show the area that she is most familiar with.
“My parents have had a place in the valley for years. I grew up spending my summers here.”
She has now lived in Edgewater for the past 29 years, where she paints out of her home. Some of her most recent works have been inspired by the birds visiting her backyard feeder, although the majority of her works are vibrant landscapes. She explains that her husband is an avid hiker and photographer, and often brings home photos that she paints.
“I feel like I am wherever I am painting. It is an opportunity for me to be there and to share it with others.”
Becoming an artist has been an exciting journey of trial and error for Fahrni, but also a challenge for a new chapter in her life. The first step began when she tried painting with her husband’s oil paintings, but she explains that she gave that up when life got busy when she had a family. Later, when her children got older, Fahrni experimented with watercolours.
“My mom had watercolours so I tried that, but it is different and I got frustrated.”
It was not until two years ago that she began painting with acrylics, starting with small paintings, and branching into larger canvases for friends and family, that her talent and passion for art began to truly show. She explains that the artistic process has an emotional connection for her.
“I could play with the paints for hours and get nothing, and the next day it could paint itself and I could look at it and say, ‘Wow, how did that happen? Really the magic captures me and I can just focus on what I am doing.”
Fahrni was part of the Columbia Wetland’s Inspiration Show earlier this year, and is currently working on pieces to exhibit at Pynelogs near the end of August. She also has pictures hanging at Helna’s Stube in Radium, and notecards available at the Art Gallery of Golden.
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