Following the lines: Sudie Rakusin’s Journey as an Artist

How did you get your start in being an artist?

My start as an artist began at birth. This is who I am and what I’ve always known. I’ve painted, drawn and sculpted my entire life. My parents gave me my first easel in kindergarten and I would come from school and head straight to my art.

What’s been the biggest challenge you’ve faced as an artist?

I was lucky to be born into a family that accepted me as an artist but I didn’t have a mentor until graduate school. In college I was ignored because it was the 60s and all the focus was on male students and there wasn’t a feminist movement yet. I had to fight for critiques.

Who has been the biggest influence on your artistic journey?

Dr. Robert Quinn, my Northern Renaissance Art History professor in graduate school, gave me the support and encouragement I needed and became the main advisor on my thesis committee. Even after graduate school I would send him slides of my work and he would critique them. It meant everything to me because he took my work seriously.

Is there a piece you’ve created that holds special meaning for you, and why?

I fall in love with the piece I am working on at the moment. Each piece is a part of me and holds the meaning of all the emotions that went into making it. I’ve often said art saved my life. I’ve used my art to help move me through really hard times like when my dog Marmalade Moon died and when I was recovering from open heart surgery. When I am drawing or painting the world is a better place for me.

What themes or messages do you try to convey through your work?

Being an animal activist and feminist, my artwork flows from what moves me and from where I find beauty: women, animals, the earth, color, pattern and light. It represents the deep connection I feel with these elements. Through my artwork I envision and create the world as I would like it to be – a place where harmony exists between animal, nature, and human.

All of Sudie's fine artwork can be found on her website here: https://www.sudierakusin.com/work.