"It is beauty I seek, not beautiful things." These
words of Plato, written over two thousand years ago,
should strike a chord in every aspiring artist.
words of Plato, written over two thousand years ago,
should strike a chord in every aspiring artist.
It is beauty I seek.......The God-given created world we live in is undeniably saturated with beauty and we haven't
far to search for it; indeed we are literally surrounded on all sides and can scarcely escape it: "Earth is crammed with
Heaven and every bush afire with God....." Christina Rossetti . Thanks to the microscope, we know that even the
tiniest snowflake is in fact an exquisite lacework of beauty. We have only to observe closely. The vocation of the
artist is similar to the function of the microscope: to present or magnify beauty that might otherwise go unnoticed. In
this way the painter also participates in the divine act of creation-or re-creation. An ordinary onion, through the
skilled hands of the artist, becomes the irresistable pearlized focal point in a still-life, which possesses the power to
delight viewers for generations. And so the artist lives to take in and give back the beautiful to the world.
I am constantly inspired and impressed as I look over the shoulders of my students, many of whom are
newcomers to art, and "scared rabbits". Never in my twenty-five year's experience of teaching have I encountered
any two souls who painted a simple pear or lemon in the same way. Each person is seeing some aspect of the thing
in a new and individual way. This is why the simplest of subjects can bring fresh new surprises daily. Those who
search for beauty will find it, and all such seekers are welcome at The Brown Rabbit! Beginning watercolor and
calligraphy classes are ongoing. Paint a Perfect Pear, Watercolor for Scared Rabbits, and Paint a
Dreamy Landscape are perennial favorites along with Beginning Italic Calligraphy. Meandering Mill Creek
provides a perfect backdrop for the quaint and picturesque schoolhouse/studio where creative fun flourishes.
Background: I am primarily self-taught as a painter and am a recent Kansas transplant from Mississippi, along
with my husband Phillip, and children. While in the Deep South, I taught painting and calligraphy classes for
twenty years at Millsaps College through The Adult Enrichment Program in Jackson, I guided prisoners in art
therapy painting at the Madison County jail facility, and maintained The Paper Garden, a home-owned business,
on the grounds of our antebellum farmhouse. There, on the flower-filled grounds, town weary souls could find
creative refreshment in painting nature. The Paper Garden was featured as a cover story in the Mississippi
Magazine, and thereafter, I was assured a steady stream of aspiring art clients. My work was also featured in
Victoria Magazine, which provided a catalyst for a mailorder watercolor bookmark business. More recently, The
Brown Rabbit in Paxico was featured in the spring '07 issue of The Kansas Magazine as a "Favorite Place" to visit
in Kansas.
In addition to offering regularly scheduled classes for the public, I am also available for private small group
bookings. Sessions include a painting demonstration followed by easy exercises in color mixing and painting by
participants. Cost for group bookings is $18 per person, minimum, four participants. See homepage for regular
class schedule and prices.
**Watercolor bookmarks will soon be available for ordering through the website! **
far to search for it; indeed we are literally surrounded on all sides and can scarcely escape it: "Earth is crammed with
Heaven and every bush afire with God....." Christina Rossetti . Thanks to the microscope, we know that even the
tiniest snowflake is in fact an exquisite lacework of beauty. We have only to observe closely. The vocation of the
artist is similar to the function of the microscope: to present or magnify beauty that might otherwise go unnoticed. In
this way the painter also participates in the divine act of creation-or re-creation. An ordinary onion, through the
skilled hands of the artist, becomes the irresistable pearlized focal point in a still-life, which possesses the power to
delight viewers for generations. And so the artist lives to take in and give back the beautiful to the world.
I am constantly inspired and impressed as I look over the shoulders of my students, many of whom are
newcomers to art, and "scared rabbits". Never in my twenty-five year's experience of teaching have I encountered
any two souls who painted a simple pear or lemon in the same way. Each person is seeing some aspect of the thing
in a new and individual way. This is why the simplest of subjects can bring fresh new surprises daily. Those who
search for beauty will find it, and all such seekers are welcome at The Brown Rabbit! Beginning watercolor and
calligraphy classes are ongoing. Paint a Perfect Pear, Watercolor for Scared Rabbits, and Paint a
Dreamy Landscape are perennial favorites along with Beginning Italic Calligraphy. Meandering Mill Creek
provides a perfect backdrop for the quaint and picturesque schoolhouse/studio where creative fun flourishes.
Background: I am primarily self-taught as a painter and am a recent Kansas transplant from Mississippi, along
with my husband Phillip, and children. While in the Deep South, I taught painting and calligraphy classes for
twenty years at Millsaps College through The Adult Enrichment Program in Jackson, I guided prisoners in art
therapy painting at the Madison County jail facility, and maintained The Paper Garden, a home-owned business,
on the grounds of our antebellum farmhouse. There, on the flower-filled grounds, town weary souls could find
creative refreshment in painting nature. The Paper Garden was featured as a cover story in the Mississippi
Magazine, and thereafter, I was assured a steady stream of aspiring art clients. My work was also featured in
Victoria Magazine, which provided a catalyst for a mailorder watercolor bookmark business. More recently, The
Brown Rabbit in Paxico was featured in the spring '07 issue of The Kansas Magazine as a "Favorite Place" to visit
in Kansas.
In addition to offering regularly scheduled classes for the public, I am also available for private small group
bookings. Sessions include a painting demonstration followed by easy exercises in color mixing and painting by
participants. Cost for group bookings is $18 per person, minimum, four participants. See homepage for regular
class schedule and prices.
**Watercolor bookmarks will soon be available for ordering through the website! **
| Susan Poitevin |