Life is
Art
A Portfolio of Highlights of the Work of Sue Girardi
Life is
Art
A PORTFOLIO OF HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WORK OF SUE GIRARDI 1
Š 2015 by Sun Spots Press All rights reserved by Susan Girardi-Sweeney of Sun Spots Press. This book may not be reproduced in whole or in part, in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrival system now known or hereafter invented, without written permission from the publisher. Cover and interior design by Susan Girardi-Sweeney Published by Sun Spots Press 20 Shadow Lane Larchmont, New York 10538 For inquiries and additional information: sueg.sweeney@gmail.com
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CONTENTS Introduction page 5
Window Paintings page 6
Murals page 12
Signs and Lettering page 16
Watercolors page 20
Ceramics page 24
Graphic Design page28
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Introduction Sue Girardi-Sweeney was born and raised in New Rochelle, New York. She has a Bachelor of Fine Arts with honors from Parson’s School of Design and Master of Arts in Teaching from Manhattanville College. Best known for her colorful window paintings, she has worked as a freelance artist for many years. Sue has painted murals, furniture and signs as well as windows, all over Westchester County. In addition, as a New York State certified art teacher, she regularly substitute teaches and does art leave-replacement teaching in several school districts. Introducing kids to fun arts and crafts has also been a passion of hers as the long time art director of Camp Pelican and as an instructor in after school programs. You may also see her frequently volunteering to run a variety of children’s art activities at community, school and church events. Sue continues to be an avid student for professional development . She believes that there is always something new to learn, especially in the art world. Her motto is always… “Life is Art!”
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Window Paintings
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I started painting windows in 1989 completely by chance and the rest is history! A profitable business was born of my colorful paint splashes adorning storefronts and restaurants. Usually the requests were for very specific holiday decorations and designs but soon a market for all seasons and business advertisements developed.
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Murals
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Mural work is a favorite of mine, the primary reason is that unlike the window paintings I design, whos lives are short lived, the more permanent wall art usually remains on location for years to come.
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Signs and Lettering
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The types of signs and lettering I create vary greatly, from clean, bright, sharp edged, compuer typeset vinyl lettering to hand-painted, antique look sinage on salvaged lumber. Unusually shaped signs have also proven to be popular with many business and residential clients alike.
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Watercolors
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Everyone should have a hobby... and for me watercolor is that hobby!
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I find watercolor to be an unpredictable medium that offers very exciting results. Experimentation with abstraction as well as use of representational subject matter helps me produce a wide variety of artwork.
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Ceramics
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For me ceramics always conjures up images of dreamlike youthful days, after a summer rainfall, squishing mud through my fingers. The relaxing and therapeutic art of ceramics inspires. There is nothing better than molding and shaping this pliable medium into a functional or decoative object.
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Graphic Design
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Graphic Design will be a life long learning curve for me. Different clients requesting additional formats for the artwork I create has driven me to learn more about computer design programs and ways to save art for a multitude of applications. Where I once used old school paste-up and mechanical techniques I can now just click a few buttons!
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Aknowledgments I just want to say thanks to Sharon Butler and all of my classmates from the WCC Digital Design class. It was great fun and I learned a lot. I so enjoyed being surrounded with all of you talented creative types and I wish you well wherever your design skills take you. As for my book it is a work in progress and I hope to actually print it sometime this summer. Always remember, Life is Art!
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