![\"SusanColla\"](\"http:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/catscapades\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/SusanColla-150x150.jpg\")
<\/p>\nCatscapades is a blog dedicated to all things cat. Today I\u2019ve invited pencil artist Susan Colla to join us. Susan specializes in wildlife fine art and it\u2019s the big cat portion of that specialty we\u2019re featuring here today. Susan, like me, is a native of Ventura County, California. We\u2019ve known each other for more years than either of us will admit to. But I haven\u2019t always known her as an artist.<\/p>\n
Patricia: Susan, that\u2019s because you haven\u2019t always pursued your art, isn\u2019t it? Please share with us your journey into the world of pencil art.<\/p>\n
Susan: My brain always felt creative\u2014wondering how this or that was made, or how it worked\u2014 it just seemed I could always figure things out by my nature. I have always loved black and white photography, so pencil was an obvious choice for me. My first love as you know was singing and performing. I have always been a ham I guess. At this time in my life art is something that I find much easier than performing, so naturally that makes more sense in these twilight years.<\/p>\n
Patricia: The next obvious question is what inspired you to draw wildlife? What animal did you draw first?<\/p>\n
Susan: I really can\u2019t explain that. Just a feeling deep down to draw what I see, and I feel so attracted to the majestic animals in Africa. They seemed to come from an ancient place which spoke to me.\u00a0Their energy and strength inspire me greatly.\u00a0 Smaller animals in North America are also of interest, as are birds, and of course people.<\/p>\n
Patricia: Where do you show your art? Tell us about some of the shows and exhibits you\u2019ve participated in.<\/p>\n
Susan: I have been blessed from the start with other artists and those who appreciate art, that they like what I do. I joined one of our local art associations, the Buenaventura Art Association in 2012.\u00a0That is when I seriously began pursuing art professionally, and at the age of 70. While I appreciate color and all the other mediums, I seem to be \u201cdrawn\u201d to doing black and white pencil. Competitions and shows are a natural place to be seen and I have had two solo shows and have had individual pieces shown in various shows in Ventura, and in Santa Paula.<\/p>\n
Susan: My approach to drawing is not so unique that no one else does it, however, saying that I have to admit it is not the usual way of pencil artists or what might be taught in a conventional art school. My art is always from a reference photo, something that I see and feel I have to do, or of course a commission. Usually the pose or source is inspiring to me. Elephants are a deep love of mine, as are cats. Dogs are fun and I love to draw them, but I have always been a cat person.<\/p>\n Patricia; I\u2019d love to know your thought process as you skillfully bring a cat to life on the canvas. How deeply do you fall in love with the cats you create?<\/p>\n Susan: I draw what I see, not what I think I know about the subject. The start is always with the eyes, and then I move out inch by inch from that point. I plan ahead the size and placement but the rest is from the place where my eyes are truly seeing and my heart is feeling where to put the pencil and the lines, and shapes. I truly am amazed at this process as much as anyone who would see what I do. I learned how to access the right brain, but that is a whole other subject. I find myself giggling sometimes, talking to them, and feeling so happy when pets\u2014mostly cats and dogs\u2014start showing themselves completed on my paper. I can get very excited and hate to stop if I\u2019m tired, but trying to draw when I\u2019m tired doesn\u2019t work so I have to.\u00a0 But I can\u2019t wait to get back to them as soon as I can.<\/p>\n Patricia: Tell us a little about your work style and habits.<\/p>\n Susan: Everything I do comes from reference photos, unfortunately as creative as I am, I do not have that in my brain as a resource. Can\u2019t explain that either. I can improvise some, but if I can\u2019t see it, I can\u2019t draw it. Why is that? I don\u2019t really have an answer.\u00a0 I \u201cfeel\u201d what I am supposed to put down with my pencil, how light, how dark, etc. There are tools I use, things I have found through trial and error. Other artists are generous in sharing techniques and ideas. And YouTube.com\u2014oh my, what a fantastic resource of teaching videos and artists who share what they know! Patricia: I understand that you also draw on commission. How does that work? Do you strictly use a photo of the cat, dog, horse? Or do you have other methods of capturing the animal\u2019s personality?<\/p>\n Susan: As noted earlier, if I can see it I can draw it.\u00a0 The poses are important in my personal choices, but if someone has a favorite photograph they want to use, it is fine with me, it just needs to give me the detail that makes my drawings come to life. The finer the detail in a photograph (higher resolution), the better the results. I don\u2019t start out intending it to look exactly like a photograph so that someone says they can\u2019t tell the difference. If it looks real and lifelike I am very happy. I find it too frustrating to try to draw something that someone would like me to do without a reference photo and I avoid that stress.<\/p>\n Patricia: Please add anything you think my cat-loving audience would like to know about you or your work.<\/p>\n Susan: Because of my own emotional attachment to the pets I have had in my life, drawing someone\u2019s dog or cat very special to me. I can feel their personalities especially in their eyes.\u00a0 The big and small game give me that same emotional journey. Who wouldn\u2019t love to experience that?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Catscapades is a blog dedicated to all things cat. Today I\u2019ve invited pencil artist Susan Colla to join us. Susan specializes in wildlife fine art and it\u2019s the big cat portion of that specialty we\u2019re featuring here today. Susan, like … Continue reading ![\"Susantiger](\"http:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/catscapades\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/Susantiger-small-150x150.jpg\")
Patricia: Do you have a favorite animal when it comes to drawing? I see a lot of cats in your collection at http:\/\/www.susancollaart.com<\/a>. Being a cat person for most of my life, I\u2019ve always been interested in cat art, figurines, stuffed cats, etc. And it seems to me the cat is one of the most difficult animal likenesses to capture. Is this the case? Do you have any secrets to your amazing skill?<\/p>\n![\"SusanCougar\"](\"http:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/catscapades\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/SusanCougar-150x150.jpg\")
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