Biography

Susan Budash was born in Chicago and currently resides in Amherst, NY, a suburb of Buffalo.

At a very young age, Susan displayed a talent in visual expression, with a special fondness for rendering images of trees. Her parents, recognizing her talent, enrolled her in 3 years of private oil painting instruction with Jack Simmerling, the accomplished Chicago landmark water colorist. Majoring in art during her years at Morgan Park High School in Chicago, Susan was awarded an Illinois State Scholastic Fine Arts Award. Following high school graduation, Susan continued oil painting, while employed in the computer industry, marrying and raising a daughter. During the late 80's, she enrolled at the State University of New York at Buffalo, earning a BFA in Printmaking and continuing her studies, thus attaining an MA in Contemporary Art History in 1997. "My studying Modern Art History and further applying that knowledge in creating art, with conventional and non-conventional materials, was stimulating and fun, but it left me feeling unfulfilled and unchallenged as an artist. In less than five years I was provided the opportunity to twice visit Italy and see its magnificent art collection. The genesis of this esthetic experience instilled in me, a quest not only to return to Traditional Painting but, to actively seek out the archival methods and materials used by the Old Masters and apply them to my creative expression. In so doing, I've found my creative voice."

Susan prefers painting Still Life and Figurative and portrait works of children. Some of her pigments are hand-ground, or purchased hand-ground, with an insistence on her materials and mediums being based on artist's notes in 16th and 17th Century manuscripts.