February 26, 2011

The Art of Susan Sarback

Susan Sarback was born in New York. Her paintings are always about light and color, especially the quality of light. She is the founder of the "School of Light and Color”. Located twenty miles east of Sacramento in Fair Oaks, California, this school teaches adults at all levels in-depth art instruction in oils, pastels, and watercolor.


(Sarback, Susan. Tulips On Glass. oil on canvas.)

Sarback started her formal study of art at an early age. She studied both abstract and representational art and she received her Master’s degree in Fine Art in 1988 at Columbia Pacifica University in San Raphael, California.


(Sarback, Susan. Palace of Fine Arts, San Francisco. oil on canvas.)

Sarback’s career significantly changed after she studied under Henry Hensche. A master painter who was an American Impressionist painter and in the lineage of Charles Hawthorne, William Merrit Chase, and Claude Monet.


(Sarback, Susan. Egg, Fork, and Salt. oil on canvas.)

“My subject is always light and color. It took years of training to learn how to be receptive to light, form, and rhythm and I learned this by painting from life with natural light both outdoors and in the studio. This made it possible to refine subtle color variations that capture the quality of light, atmosphere, and space.” says Sarback.


(Sarback, Susan. Conch Shell. oil on canvas.)

Sarback’s work can be seen in galleries in New York City, San Francisco, Napa Valley, Sacramento, Seattle, and Santa Fe. She has also authored two books, “Capturing Radiant Light and Color in Oils and Soft Pastels” (2007) and “The School of Light and Color” (1986). She also presently teaches workshops all over the country.


(Sarback, Susan. Down the Pier. oil on canvas.)

International Artist Magazine has named her one of the Master Painters of the World and her work is much appreciated here!

Enjoy! :)

Reference: Sarback, Susan. Capturing Radiant Light and Color in Oils and Soft Pastels. North Light Books: Cincinnati, Ohio. 2007.

Reference: Light and Color .com