Susan Chrysler White

Susan Chrysler White is a nationally recognized painter and sculptor whose art is dynamic in its use of brilliant color, allusions to the exotic and historic, and the calligraphic nature of her depictions. The paintings are vibrant and bold in color, filled to the brim with patterning, evoking a sense of constant movement, which explores ideas of the simultaneity and the emotions within the inner worlds of humans. By using a unique process where she layers paint on glassine paper, then cutting and pressing those pieces onto canvas, she has developed a very individualistic style. Her sculptures have developed from her paintings and a similar sense of beautiful frenetic energy can be found in both mediums. The hanging sculptures are large, but far from imposing. They are made of plexiglas, which White meticulously paints with delicate arabesque style patterning. She is exploring ideas of light, transparency, bilateral symmetry, and calligraphy in her sculptures. This leads to an exceptional sense of lightness and air in the large scale hanging sculptures. White received her B.A. in Painting from the University of California – Berkley and an M.F.A. in Painting and Drawing from the University of California – Davis. Susan Chrysler White has had a long and important career as an artist and teacher throughout the country and in 2000 came to teach at the University of Iowa. She has helped to inspire and guide the creativity of many young Iowa artists, as evidenced by several teaching awards she has received from the University of Iowa. White was also one of seven Iowa artists that were featured in Iowa Public Television’s “Iowa Master Artist” series. Her art is part of several museum collections such as the Philadelphia Museum of Art and many corporate collections. Her art has also been widely published in various periodicals throughout the country. Susan Chrysler White continues to push the boundaries of both her own art and the tradition of art in this country through her distinctive style of creation and the individual style that is evident in her gorgeous paintings and sculpture.