Susan Budash
Susan Budash was born in Chicago in 1949 and currently resides in Amherst, New York, a suburb of Buffalo. At a very young age, Budash displayed a talent in visual expression, with a particular fondness for rendering images of trees. Her parents, recognizing her talent, enrolled her in three years of private instruction with Jack Simmerling, the accomplished Chicago landmark water colorist.
Majoring in art during high school resulted in Budash being awarded an Illinois State Scholastic Fine Arts Award. Following high school graduation, she continued oil painting, while employed in the computer industry, later marrying and raising a daughter. In 1990 she enrolled at the State University of New York at Buffalo, earning a BFA in Printmaking. Furthering her studies, Budash graduated with an MA in Contemporary Art History in 1997.
With the completion of her MA, Susan Budash opened her first studio, which has provided her with years of creative challenges and accomplishments. Her creative voice always found inspiration in the world of Realism expression, specifically the old methods employed by the Old Masters-Rembrandt, Vermeer, Titian and other notables.
"My studying Modern Art History and further applying that knowledge in creating art with conventional and non-conventional materials was stimulating and enjoyable, but it left me feeling unfulfilled and unchallenged as an artist," Budash says. "In less than five years, I was provided an opportunity to twice visit Italy and see its magnificent art collection. The genesis of this esthetic experience instilled in me a quest not only to return to Traditional Painting, but also to actively seek out the archival methods and materials used by the Old Masters and apply them to my own creative expression. In so doing, I've discovered my creative voice."
Budash is an exhibiting and award recipient member of Oil Painters of America, the Portrait Society of America, as well as a member of the International Guild of Realism (IGOR), with her work having been juried and exhibited in numerous galleries throughout the US.
To view Susan Budash's work, visit our online gallery.
Please join us November 1 - 30 at the Geary Gallery, located 576 Boston Post Road in Darien for the Susan Engle Budash exhibit, "Return to Tradition." Admission is free and artwork is available for acquisition.