SUE COON  

 Who I Am…

Personal:  I am a southern belle born in Crossett , Arkansas and raised in Monroe , Louisiana .  I married my childhood sweetheart after high school.  My father was a dairy farmer, had chicken houses, and grew cotton, corn, peas, watermelons and soybeans.  My mother was a city girl from an artistic family, so I give her the credit for my God-given talent.  Dad was a foxhunter and always had a pen full of dogs, plus, cats, chickens, horses and cows, so he gets credit for my love of animals.  I walked or rode the trails in the back pastures as a child and teenager, thereby acquiring a love of nature.  So, I am a country girl that has come back to the country to paint and enjoy the peace and quiet of these mountains and all that is in them.  

My husband and I chose Fairfield Bay as our retirement home in 1992.  He is not retired; still enjoys his work in Little Rock .  We commute back and forth from our home here and a place there.

I have always been an artist.   My mother saved drawings from my 3yrold fingers…it is hard to explain the compulsion to draw and duplicate what you feel and see.  I remember standing in front of my mirror as a teenager and drawing my ponytail (50’s).  Then, I finished high school, got married, had two children, worked so my husband could go to college.  Finally, it was my turn. At age 34, I went to college as an art major, finished in 3-1/2 years, and began my art teaching career.  After finishing a Master’s in Art Education, while teaching, I taught 24 years in Junior and High School (Central) in Little Rock .  I retired in 2000 with the intention to take up a serious painting career and that is what I am doing.  

Education:  I hold a BSE from UCA, Conway , Arkansas and a MSE from University of Arkansas , Fayetteville , Arkansas .  I also acquired an additional 30+ hours in Gifted and Talented hours.  I gained the confidence to begin my formal art education from completing a 4-year course in Art Instruction Schools – a through-the-mail course that is still being taught.  

Work History:  I taught 16 years at Southwest Jr. High School and 8 years at Central High School in Little Rock , Arkansas .  In addition to my formal education, I have always taught children’s art around the neighborhood.  I have held workshops for senior citizens in nursing homes.  I have taught adult art education classes in conjunction with UCA in Conway , Arkansas (Continuing Education). I held a job as a commercial artist for Dollar Stores.  I also was a potter for ten years including four years as the potter for “ Dogpatch , USA .”  Art has just always been a part of my life.  Currently, I am teaching group and private lessons in winter and children’s art in the summer.  I am a charter member of the “Off the Beaten Path” Studio Tour in Mountain View .    Also, teach workshops to groups, clubs and art guilds.  

Mediums:

I work in oil, acrylic, pastel and watercolor...all media really...like graphite and charcoal too!  Being an art teacher it helps to know and work in all mediums.

Affiliations:     Mountain View Art Guild

                        Arkansas Craft Guild

                        North Central Arkansas Foundation for the Arts and Education

                        North Central Arkansas Artist League

                        Mid-Southern Watercolorists, Inc.

                        Arkansas Arts Council

Exhibitions:

                        Ozark Folk Center , Mountain View            

                        Stone County Fair Juried Show                                   

                        North Central Arkansas District Fair Juried Show

                        Fairfield Bay Art Museum , Fairfield Bay , Arkansas

                        Ozark Heritage Arts Center Museum , Leslie , Arkansas

                        Folk Festival and Bean Festival, Mountain View , Arkansas

                        Salon/Art 411, Heber Springs , Arkansas

Here are a couple of pictures of some of Sue's work.