ABOUT
Biographical Information
Suzanne D’Arcy, born and bred in California, has grown up with landscape that encompasses great stone ridges and peaks, wide vistas of agricultural fields and fruit and nut orchards, green swells of land dotted with red and black cattle, fierce rushing rivers in canyons of granite, and lush coastal beaches. Her California cities bustle with the diversity of peoples and cultures that enrich and enliven urban scenes. Living in a state as beautiful and varied in visual environments as an artist and citizen has fine tuned her appreciation of beauty. There is literally a painting every where one can look-city or town or country.
She is married, with two boys and a supportive husband and lives in semi-rural area of the East Bay in the Golden State.
Artist’s Statement
I knew early on in my life that painting and drawing were integral to my self. As a very little kid, the illustrations of Arthur Szyk in Grimm’s Fairytales, struck me for their drama and clarity; I knew that the world of representational art would be my focus. I haven’t been disappointed: Life is a daily miracle for me. There is such beauty in the ordinary city street, open field, sea edge, a person’s face that I have never been without motivation or subject matter for painting. Diversity of subject matter reflects the wonderful complexity of our visual world. With plein air painting I am, like my fellow painters, often painting nature’s scenery that will soon disappear under the wheels of land development. I feel I am painting one page in the long story of our changing land.
To be an artist and engage the imagination through creative process and build the technical knowledge is a wonderful path in life. I’m on this road and I love it.
Academic Influences
For guidance and pleasure, I have looked to painters like Winslow Homer and his tropics paintings, George Bellows and George Luks, Sergi Bongart, John Singer Sargent, Mary Cassatt, Gustave Caillebotte, Edward Hopper, George Tooker, Nicholi Fechin, and especially William Wendt and Edgar Payne. My living heroes are many and include my two respected teachers Van Waldron and Craig Nelson.
Education
2009 Painting workshop with Craig Nelson (Figurative Oil Painting), Asilomar, CA
2008 Painting workshop, Tuscany, Italy, with Craig Nelson
2008 Painting workshop with Craig Nelson, Sonoma CA
2008-1994 Studied with Van Waldron (Floral and Still Life Painting)
2008-1994 Painting workshops with Craig Nelson (Figurative Oil Painting)
2006 Painting workshop with Randy Sexton (Figure in Oil)
2004 Painting workshop with Randy Sexton, Vermont (Plein Air)
2002 Painting workshop with Ken Auster, Carmel (Plein Air)
2000 Plein Air Painting Workshop, Virginia City, with Van Waldron
1999 Portrait Painting Workshop with the American Society of Portrait Artists
1992 Associate Bachelor of Arts, Academy of Art College
1972 Bachelor of Arts, University of California at Davis, Art Studio,
1972 Bachelor of Arts, University of California at Davis, Art History
Current Artists’ Memberships
American Society of Portrait Artists, California
Art Club, Pleasanton Art League, Livermore Art Association, Arts Benicia, Alamo Danville Artists Society, the Blue Sky Group, & Stockton Art League, Art on the Farm
Lectures, Demonstrations and Workshops
2009 to Current, Academy of Art University, Instructor-Fine Arts, San Francisco, CA
2009 Society of Western Artists, Lecture and Demonstration
2008 San Carlos Fine Art Association, Lecture and Demonstration
2008 Alameda Art League, Lecture and Demonstration
2008 Alamo Danville Artists Society, Lecture and Demonstration
2007 Judge, Livermore Art Association, Livermore
2007 Judge, Spring Arts Festival, Turlock
2006 Valley Sun Catchers Artists, Weekend Workshop, Demonstrations, Lectures
2006 Society of Western Artist, Lecture and Demonstration
2004 San Carlos Art League, Lecture and Demonstration
2002 Society of Western Artists, Lecture and Demonstration
2002 Sequoia Art League, Lecture and Demonstration
Regional Juried Entries & Awards:
2008 FrankBette Center for the Arts, Plein Air Festival, Best in Show, To Kalon Award, Mondavi Winery
2008 Down by the River Plein Air Competition, Locke, Second & Third Place
2008 Alameda County Fair, Plein Air Competition, First Place
2008 Marin County Fair, Plein Air Competition, Merit Award
2007 Frank Bette Plein Air Paint Out, Honorable Mention
2007 Monmart Plein Air Competition, Second Place
2005 Elk Creek Plein Air Festival, First Place
2005 Napa Valley Museums California Plein Air Annual Show
2004 Crockett “Art and Wine Festival,” First Place
2004 Epperson Gallery Plein Air Paint Out, First Place
2004-Juried Entry, Alameda County Fair
2004 Elk Creek Plein Air Festival, First Place
2003-Selected Annual Emerging Artist, ProArts
2001-Special Award, Livermore Cultural Arts Council
2001 Society of Western Artists, John Muir Show, two Honorable Mentions
2001 Society of Western Artists, Kaiser Show, Second Place
2001 Society of Western Artists, Annual Show, Honorable Mention
2000-Selected Annual Emerging Artists, ProArts
1999-Art in Public Space, Painting accepted and purchased for the New County Recorders Building
1999, 1997, 1992, 1991, 1990- Alameda County Fair, Merit Award(1991 &1990 Two Merit Awards per year)
1994 Alameda County Fair, Silver Award
1993 Alameda County Fair, Silver Award
1992 Academy of Art College, Two Honorable Mentions
1991-Alameda County Fair Patron Purchase Award
Gallery Involvement
2009 Impressions of Italy, The Garden Gallery, Half Moon Bay, CA
2009 Art on the Farm, Claudia Chapline Gallery, Stinson Beach, CA
2008 Bedford Gallery, Civic Arts Education 45th Anniversary Exhibition,
Dean Lesher Regional Center for the Arts, Walnut Creek, CA
2008 Fifth Annual Miniature Show, First Street Gallery, Turlock, CA
2008 Group Show, Down By the River Gallery, Locke, CA
2008 Group Show, Big Stuff, Vault Gallery, Sonora, CA
2008 Group Show, Little Gifts, Vault Gallery, Sonora, CA
2007 One Person Show, Flora and Fauna, Moraga Library, Moraga, CA
2007 Group Show, Art on a Grand Scale, Vault Gallery, Sonora, CA
2007 Group Show, Little Gifts, Vault Gallery, Sonora, CA
2006 Urban Landscapes, Vault Gallery, Sonora, CA
2006 Group Show, Nocturnes, Vault Gallery, Sonora, CA
2006 Group Show, Boat Show, Vault Gallery, Vault Gallery, Sonora, CA
2006 Group Show, Passion Paintings, Oz Gallery, Benicia. CA
2006 Group Show, Art on a Grand Scale, Vault Gallery, Sonora, CA
2006 Group Show, Students and Friends of Bob Gerbracht, Epperson Gallery, Crockett, CA
2006 Group Show, Small Paintings, Vault Gallery, Sonora, CA
2005 Group Show, Miniatures, Oz Gallery, Benicia, CA
2005 Group Show, The Gold Country Plein Air Paint Out, Vault Gallery, Sonora, CA
2005 Group Show, Art on a Grand Scale, Vault Gallery, Sonora, CA
2004 Group Show, Small Painting Show, Vault Gallery, Sonora, CA
2004 One Person Show, Suzanne D’Arcy, Angels Camp Gallery, Angels Camp, CA
2004 Group Show, The Slopes of Diablo, Valley Art Gallery, Walnut Creek, CA
2004 Group Show, The Big Picture, Vault Gallery, Sonora, CA
2004 Group Show, The Gold Country Plein Air Paint Out, Vault Gallery, Sonora, CA
2003 One Person Show, Paintings from the Left Coast, Epperson Gallery, Crockett, CA
2003 Group Show, Miniature Show, Vault Gallery, Sonora, CA
2003 Group Show, Art of a Community, Benicia, CA
2003 Group Show, Big Stuff, Vault Gallery Sonora, CA
2002 One Person Show, Suzanne D’Arcy, Albatross Gallery, Berkeley, CA
2002 Group Show, Miniature Show, Vault Gallery, Sonora, CA
2001-2002 Scene on the Strait, Martinez, CAA
Plein Air Paint Outs & Juried Plein Art Festivals
2008 Locke Plein Air Paint Out, Down By the River Gallery, Locke CA
2008 Scene on the Strait, Martinez, CA
2008 Frank Bette Center for the Arts, Alameda, CA
2008 Winters Paint the Town Plein Air, Winters, CA
2007 San Luis Obispo Plein Air Festival, CA
2007 Frank Bette Art Center Plein Air Competition, Alameda, CA
2007 Eight Annual Invitational Gold Country Plein Air Paint Out, Sonora, CA
2006 Valona Paint out and Show, Crockett, CA
2006 Jewel by the Sea, Alameda, CA
2006 Seventh Annual Invitational Gold Country Plein Air Paint Out, Sonora, CA
2005 Lamorinda Open Space Paint Out and Fundraiser, Moraga, CA
2005 Artists Night in Downtown, Danville, CA
2005 San Luis Obispo Plein Air Festival, CA
2005, 2003-2001 Scene on the Strait, Martinez, CA
2005 Sixth Annual Invitational Gold Country Plein Air Paint Out
2004 Artist Night in Downtown, Danville, CA
2004 Lamorinda Open Space Paint Out and Fundraiser, Moraga, CA
2003 Sonoma Plein Air Festival, CA
2003 San Luis Obispo Plein Air Festival, CA
Open Space/Land Preservation Memberships
Preserve Lamorinda Open Space
American Farmland Trust
Save Mount Diablo
