Sue Rauschenfels’ “For The Love of Trees” paintings and mixed media collages are created from the heart and rooted, grown and developed from a childhood spent exploring outdoor play in the woods while building strong lifelong relationships with her 6 sisters and neighborhood friends.

Her rendering of this new trees series using vibrant color, mark making, textural elements of collage and mixed media to tell their story, is her way of honoring and thanking them for their gifts- impacting people positively socially, mentally, and supporting healthy human interaction.

Sue uses vibrant colors, markmaking, and varied textures in her tree paintings by incorporating mixed media and storytelling elements. With this new series she has immersed herself and experimented with new art mediums using oil and cold wax. Her watercolor birch trees on masa paper using black Sumi ink is a technique she adores and has pushed the texture and abstract representation forward. She often uses collage papers, many handmade in her acrylic/mixed media paintings capturing a bold, vibrant spiritual story.

We all know that the survival of human beings is oxygen and is made available by trees. We have all heard the science as to why trees are life. But beyond that, Sue believes trees have an amazing power to impact people positively socially and mentally. They calm and rejuvenate our senses and refresh our souls in healing ways. Often as individuals we seek to surround ourselves with trees to recharge and center ourselves. We travel in groups to forests and parks to socialize, connect, and strengthen our relationships. Human connection with trees is a vital component to sustaining life and creating supportive healthy human interaction.

It is evident that Sue often paints her trees in a row, together standing tall. As people, we too need to stand together, heal and deepen our relationships to protect each other and our communities to sustain healthy social human connections.

For more information about this exhibit please visit the Watermark Art Center.

This exhibit was made possible in part by the Arrowhead Regional Arts Council through an individual Artist Project Grant FY24 and by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from Arrowhead Regional Arts Council thanks to an appropriation from the Minnesota State Legislature’s general and Arts and Cultural Heritage funds.