Artist’s Statement

I’ve always been drawn to oil portraits in museums and galleries, but the day I decided to try it myself, my life changed forever. I’m fascinated and motivated by the depth and craft of masterworks hundreds of years old, and work diligently to understand the methods and disciplines of masters old and new. In creating my work, the relationships I have with my clients and subjects inspire me and challenge me to capture that spark of life and personality that makes them unique.

This art journey has changed my life in ways I could never have foreseen, and coming to it later in life I’ve found that age does not determine what you can achieve. As a result, I am all the more dedicated to pass on what I’ve learned in my short painting journey. There’s a certain healing that happens when you can give others the opportunities and tools you wish you had in your past journey, and a gift you give to the world when you unlock and nurture the potential students didn’t know was possible.

Thank you for visiting my work, and please don’t hesitate to reach out, for whatever reason.

Bio

Suzann Beck is a Minneapolis-based fine artist working in realism with the mediums of oil, pastel, and charcoal. She specializes in portraiture, with her subject matter ranging from commissioned portraits to figure, still life, and landscape. Suzann is particularly influenced by the Renaissance painters and Russian Itinerants of the 19th century including Repin and Kramskoi.

Suzann holds a Bachelors of Fine Arts degree from Moorhead State University, Moorhead MN, studied portraiture with Jeffery Hurinenko who apprenticed with artist Charles Kapsner who trained at Studio Simi, Florence Italy. Suzann has been studying figure since 2017 with nationally-known draughtsman Michael Mentler, Dallas, Texas, who is viewed by many as a living embodiment of Leonardo DaVinci. As an award-winning oil and pastel portrait painter, Suzann’s achievements include recognition for her pastel and oil painting by Artist’s Magazine, the Portrait Society of America, Dakota Pastels, Northern Lights Juried Exhibitions, and the Minnesota State Fair.

Suzann is also a sought-after portraiture and pastel instructor teaching and mentoring out of her Northeast Minneapolis studio as well as multiple arts organizations and academies in the Minneapolis area and St. Cloud, MN.

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