Susan Gainen’sFriends & Neighborhoods
Whimsical Wildlife Documentarian & Abstract Painter
Every piece looks better because of the pieces that surround it.
The Eggroll Queen Café, Falcon Heights, MN
September 20-October 20, 2019
Lulu LollipopLuLu Lollipop welcomes you to The Eggroll Queen Café and Susan Gainen’s Friends and Neighborhoods.
Having just retired after 27 years of managing lollipop factories, she is on her way to a Bucket List World Tour of Non-Candy Sites. Before leaving town, she agreed to host this show.
“I support Whimsy, and I am fanatical about the elements of neighborhoods that make all of our lives better.”
Have a lollipop, and enjoy the show.
Acrylic and Acrylic Mediums $858x10
Cave FlamingoFrom the Lost Cave Paintings of Saint Paul
The Cave Flamingo first appeared in the 2013 WARM (Women’s Art
Resources of Minnesota) Mentor-Protégé Final Show along with 10 feet of
cave walls featuring an Elephant, parrots, owls, cats, frogs, and Toucans. She
is delighted to welcome you to the Eggroll Queen Café.
When my doctor urges me to exercise more, I
tell him that I exercise my imagination every day.
“Is that not enough?” I ask. “No,” he replies.
Plywood, Gesso, Watercolor
& Mixed Media $450.00
3’ x 5’
Grand Cave ToucanFrom the Lost Cave Paintings of Saint Paul
Minnesota is riddled with caves. I am privileged
to imagine and excavate these caves from the
comfort of my rat-and-bat-free living room
studio.
Unlike real caves, my studio has electricity,
running water, Netflix, and a stove and fridge.
Very convenient.
To make your own cave paintings: Tint some
White Gesso, and apply it to a sturdy substrate.
WAIT for the gesso to dry. Paint the creature of
your choice. Cover with archival gloss or spray.
Gesso & Watercolor $800.00
22x33
Cave PeacockFrom the Lost Cave Paintings of Saint Paul
The Small Friends’ Research Institute (which sponsors
my research on Whimsical Creatures) reports that there
were large flocks of peacocks in pre-historic Minnesota.
I do not argue with scientists.
What about the colors of the cave walls? Because these
are my caves, I am limited only by my imagination.
There are a lot of different colors on these walls.
Powered by Imagination.
Gesso & Watercolor $100.00
8x10
Grand African Gray ParrotFrom the Lost Cave Paintings of Saint Paul
In pre-historic times, Very Large Gray Parrots, ancestors
of the Famed African Gray Parrot, thrived in Minnesota.
Evidence discovered by the Small Friends’ Research
Institute, which sponsors my research on Whimsical
Creatures, indicates that some of these parrots may
have been seven feet tall.
To make a cave painting: Tint some White Gesso with
watercolor or acrylic paint, and apply it to a sturdy
substrate. WAIT for the gesso to dry. Paint the creature
of your choice. Cover with archival gloss or spray.
Gesso & Watercolor $300.00
16x24
Yellow Rooster Waits for SpringBody Parts From Recycled Abstracts
I had a wonderful time during 2018, painting dozens of
large sheets of tiny abstract designs which had no
commercial potential whatsoever. A daily exercise in
joy.
Fortunately, I live with Whimsical Creatures who took
pity on me. They said “Don’t fret. We’ll take them off
your hands for Body Parts.”
The Recycled Creature Family includes Roosters,
Hippos, and Cats.
Acrylic & Mediums $100.00
10x20
Rooster on BlueBody Parts From Recycled Abstracts
My business name is “nanoscapes & other visions
llc.” It should surprise no one that I find great joy
painting sheets and sheets of tiny abstract
designs. In and of themselves, they have no
commercial potential whatsoever. Even if my Late
Mother were to come back to life – she wouldn’t
buy any.
Fortunately, I live with Whimsical Creatures who
took pity on me. They said “Don’t fret. We’ll take
them off your hands for Body Parts.”
The Recycled Creature Family includes Roosters,
Hippos, and Cats.
Acrylic & Mediums $100.00
10x20
Big Red, Rooster on PurpleBody Parts From Recycled Abstracts
Big Red is delighted with his body parts. He believes
that he is quite handsome. As proof, he reminds me
that he was a featured image in the Spring 2019
Saint Paul Art Crawl catalog.
The Recycled Creature Family includes Roosters,
Hippos, and Cats.
Acrylic & Mediums $100.00
10x20
Two Roosters ChattingTwo Roosters, each an original 3-d, have
joined together to do something that
roosters rarely do.
They are having a quiet chat. Together.
With each other. No screeching or
screaming. No cock-a-doodle-contesting.
There are serious issues in their world that
need to be considered and resolved.
Do not Alert the Media, and please do not
encourage the paparazzi.
Acrylic & Mediums $100.00
12x16
Minoan Bird CedricA Visitor from long ago and far away
Cedric escaped from the destruction of
the Minoan civilization in the Middle
Bronze Age on Crete in about 1500 BCE.
Since then, he has traveled the world,
survived natural and man-made
disasters, napped for centuries when he
felt like it, and encouraged early and
modern civilizations to worship birds.
He is in Minnesota to celebrate the 2019
Minnesota State Fair clean-up. He calls
it a model for all public gatherings: (1)
quickly pick up and dispose of the
trash, and, (2) without delay, plant
seeds and plants for next year.
Acrylic & Gel Medium $80
10x20
Beatriz Ballet Bird’s Orange TuTuDance! Dance! Dance!
Beatriz is part of a family of birds that occupy the highest spaces
in all of ballet. Their home is in the attic of the American Ballet
Company’s rehearsal space at the Metropolitan Opera House in
New York City.
She and her siblings and cousins undertake the same rigorous
training as human classically-trained dancers, with additional
training in Ballet-in-Flight, which humans cannot perform. Her
costumes are intricately woven to complement her feathers.
When she was little, she called them “Tu-Tu-Cool.”
Watercolor $100
8x10
Big Blue CatBody Parts From Recycled Abstracts
Big Blue Cat is leading an effort by the creatures
to persuade me to publish an expanded edition
of The New World of Cats. He has volunteered
to be the cover art. We’ll see.
The Recycled Creature Family includes
Roosters, Hippos, and Cats.
Acrylic & Mediums $100.00
10x20
Camo Cat on BlackBody Parts From Recycled Abstracts
Camo Cat has a clear idea of who she is and what she
wanted in her portrait.
Having spent decades in the CIA (Cat Intelligence
Agency) in Special Ops (sourcing food), she knows the
importance of an impenetrable disguise.
Her glass eyes are shards from a window in my beloved,
murdered 1999 Honda CRV which was collateral
damage in a hit-and-run. It was legally parked, I wasn’t
in it, so I’m fine. Incorporating the shards in art reminds
me that “Art is the best revenge.”
Acrylic, Mediums & Honda Window Glass
$100.00
10x20
Mr. Yellow CatMr. Yellow is first cousin to the Recycled Abstract
Creature Family because his stripes are directly painted.
He makes no judgements.
He heads an international consortium of anti-industrial
espionage consultants. As an Undercover Factory Cat,
he specialized in candy factories. He also worked in
fabric weaving collectives, and paint fabricators.
Acrylic $60.00
8x10
Tall Stained Glass Window Cat Tall Stained Glass Window Cat (Panthera Procerus Fenestra
Tigris), was part of a window created in the 16th century by a
glass artist whose vision did not conform to that of his
Patron, who did not like cats.
Knowing that the Patron would demand that the window be
destroyed, the artist carefully cut out the cat and stored her
in his attic where she sat quietly for more than 300 years.
How she came to the US is shrouded in mystery (and possible
international felonies).
Her restoration was supervised by Max-the-Cat who worked
with an expert and enthusiastic troop of glass artists.
Truth in Art Squad: This image was made with watercolor
on a primed aluminum board. It is framed in black metal at
12”x48”, and protected with archival spray.
Watercolor on Primed Aluminum: $250
A Cat: Active ListenerOrigin story Decades ago I had a lumber yard cut out a
5-foot tall flamingo from a sheet of plywood. “What
about the leftovers?” they asked. I got 12 sets of
bookends and 18 plywood rounds.
After several epic fails – I didn’t know that you can’t
successfully cover watercolor with acrylic – the cat face
arrived.
He is an active listener.
Acrylic & Mediums $60.00
8 inch round
Cats: Gray & White Pinky & the Brain Fan Boys
You may imagine that your cats nap in your
absence. You would be wrong. Or often wrong.
Following the example of their Leaders, Pinky & The
Brain, these two are learning to tap into
#facebookandamazonalgorithms
and technologies that connect to #worldcats. No,
they have not shared their goals with me.
Because this effort began during a government
shutdown, appropriate agencies missed
these upstart miscreants, who have successfully
covered their tracks. Their work appears to be low
on the current administration’s law enforcement
priority list.
Acrylic & Mediums $60.00
9x9
Surprised PandaFrom the Hidden Bamboo Forest of Saint Paul
I was heavily morphinated after shoulder surgery in December 2015,
when I saw the panda on the cover of the January 2016 issue of
Smithsonian Magazine. To no one in particular, I said, “I can paint
pandas.”
Two days later, the two Chief Pandas of the Hidden Bamboo Forest of
Saint Paul dropped by to say that they would sit for portraits and tell
stories if I promised to keep the Forest’s location a secret. “You betcha,” I
said.
Who knew? Pandas are remarkably taciturn, and they have few stories to
share. Napping and eating bamboo are their preferred activities. In a nod
to life in Minnesota, they have acquired a taste for Lemon Bars.
Their Big Story is the wrath that overcomes them at the mention of the
upstart Russian “Bering.” In Panda history, that body of water is “The
Bearing Strait.”
I have kept my promise. The Forest, whose location is guarded by two
very ferocious bronze lions, remains hidden.
Surprised Panda Acrylic & Acrylic mediums $90
9x9
A Bumpy, Shiny, & Quiet GuitarWhen I turned 65, I ceased all activities requiring
either safety equipment or liability waivers. Thus, no
glass or tile cutting, and no bungee jumping.
That said, tile-making became a great joy.
I learned to make paper tile with heavyweight artist
paper, gesso, and paints. After the gesso and paints dry,
I cut out tiles with scissors. Next steps: glue the tiles
into place or set them into thick acrylic paint, and
cover everything with acrylic gloss medium (Golden
Self Leveling Clear Gel).
You can do this at home. I promise.
Replace the red paper with a mirror or a photograph.
Gesso, acrylic and watercolor paint $125
12x24
Red CelebrationsGolden High Flow Acrylic & White Gesso Magic
One of the best parts of art-making is finding
magic in materials. While making Cave
Paintings, I dropped a tiny bit of Golden High
Flow Acrylic onto wet white gesso and was
shocked to see the little fern feet that flowed
from the drops.
Panicking that I’d bought a bad bottle, I called
Bonnie Cutts, Golden’s Area Artist in
Residence, who said “Relax. It’s supposed to
‘bloom.’”
What a relief. And a door opened to #artfun!!
Acrylic & Mediums $120.00
(16x20)
Philodendron #3
Inspired by nature
For a complicated set of reasons involving a 3-inch
katydid that spent 4 quality hours in the small of my
back during an outdoor painting adventure, I never
paint outdoors.
Which is not to say that I am not inspired by nature.
During my national consulting & speaking days, I
traveled all over the country. Outside a Florida hotel, I
found a gigantic philodendron which inspired three
Philodendron paintings. Philodendron #3, the largest,
is all watercolor.
No surprise: every piece looks better because of the
pieces that surround it.
This is one of the soundest and most joyful examples of
#artfun.
Watercolor(22x33) $150.00
LONG RINGSRings and links are fascinating. Some insist that drawing and
painting them is tedious, but I love the process of identifying
and correcting the “overs and unders.” After that, filling in the
shapes with color is pure joy.
When I made this and similar paintings, I used “Painstaking
Exuberance,” a five-step process that I devised: (1) make a
pencil drawing; (2) outline each shape with Winsor & Newton
Davy’s Gray watercolor; (3) fill in the shapes with watercolors;
(4) outline each shape with a contrasting watercolor; and (5)
when appropriate, paint a watercolor outline of the piece.
Knowing that an artist’s “school of painting” is often named
after she dies, “nanoscapes” and all of the art associated with
me is from the School of Painstaking Exuberance.
Of course, every link is linked to another, and every piece looks
better because of the pieces that surround it.
Watercolor (12x36) $125
Net & Stained Glass Juxto Net & Stained Glass Juxto gently
tries to fool your eye. It also
answers a question that may have
troubled you for years: What
happens when triangles and small
squares go wild?
Acrylic & Platinum ™ Pen with
Carbon Black Ink
$80
Yellow Net What happens when small squares
go wild? Now you know.
Acrylic & Platinum ™ Pen with
Carbon Black Ink
$80
8x10 each.
Paper MosaicWhen I turned 65, I ceased all activities requiring either
safety equipment or liability waivers. Thus, no glass or
tile cutting, and no bungee jumping.
That said, paper tile-making became a great joy.
I learned to make paper tile with heavy paper, gesso,
and paints. After the gesso and paints dry, I cut out tiles
with scissors, and glue them into place or set them into
thick acrylic paint. The shine comes from acrylic gloss
medium.
You can do this at home. I promise.
Acrylic Paint and Mediums (4x6 or 5x7)$20 each
Susan Gainen’sFriends & Neighborhoods
Susan Gainen is a Whimsical Wildlife Documentarian and Abstract Painter.
So far, her books are: The Small Friends’ Chronicles (from blurb.com); Meet the LLLamas; The Backyard Roosters of Saint Paul; and The New World of Cats: Max-the-Cat & Friends.(three from amazon.com)
Her abstract paintings stand for the principle that every piece looks better because of the pieces that surround it.
All of the pieces in this show are original. Some are available as digital prints. Almost all can be had as cards.s Inquire at [email protected].
