We are pleased to present our third series of interviews with artists whose works are featured in Art Saint Louis' virtual/online exhibit, "Hope" (February 1-April 1, 2021). You can view the virtual exhibit as well as all 48 featured artworks on our website here and in our Facebook album here.
We proudly introduce you to featured artists Rose Wheeler and Suzanne McCudden.
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ROSE WHEELER
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| Featured in Art Saint Louis’ virtual exhibit, “Hope”: Rose Wheeler, St. Peters, MO. “Garden Ball.” 2021. Digital Media on Photo Paper, 13”x13”. $100 framed. Artist’s statement: “I create digital art using code and print it on photo paper. I made this art to make myself and others smile. The colors are bright and inviting. I was inspired by flowers, gardens, candy and shooting stars. Everything I make is based in mathematics - the shapes are defined by equations coded in Maple or R. The images themselves are edited digitally to highlight the colors.” |
Roxanne Phillips: Why do you make art?
Rose Wheeler: It makes me happy - It makes me calm when I'm angry or sad.
Also, making art helps me discover new things. Often I run across things I don't expect. Then I get to tweak things and see what happens. It's sort of the math equivalent of Minecraft - or of exploring some uncharted island.
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| Rose Wheeler. “Starfish.” 2021. Digital Art on Cardstock, 11”x11”. $100, including frame. |
RP: What was it that first prompted your career/activity as an artist?
RW: I had some really awesome encouragement from several people.
First would be my partner - who has always looked at what I've made and given me advice. She's willing to run to get things printed, help explain the process of matting and framing and to help stop me when I've been overworking an image. She's been a constant patient source of support since I met her, and she helps me do the things I want to do every day.
Second would be a great boss I have - who told me I was talented and encouraged me to send my work out to be evaluated by galleries in the first place. Without her, I might have just kept making things and never sharing them.
Third would be a former coworker of mine - who told me that I should show this kind of work to kids to help inspire them to be excited about math. I think this is an excellent idea - math isn't something many people can get excited about - but translating it into a visual form makes it accessible to people. While it won't make algebra any easier for anyone, maybe it will help them appreciate the beauty of numbers.
At some point - I decided that the only thing keeping me from being an artist was my imposter syndrome. I decided that whatever I created was good enough - and that I had a voice that was worth hearing. And that was that :).
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| Rose Wheeler. “Coral 2.” 2021. Digital Art on Cardstock, 11”x11”. $100, including frame. |
RP: What do you find most challenging/rewarding about the creative process?
RW: I've got a 3-year-old and a 5-year-old at home, so my most present challenge is finding time to work.
The biggest challenge is knowing when to stop. I spend time in my home office coding and reiterating - time flies when I so this. The worst experience is when I can't quite build what I want and I'll revisit work for hours and hours. Those nights I can be up until dawn.
Other nights I feel inspired, and everything falls into place seemingly without effort - those nights I can be up late too, but happy when I finally finish.
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| Rose Wheeler. “Coral 3.” 2021. Digital Art on Cardstock, 11”x11”. $100, including frame. |
RP: What do you do to support your art and how does that impact your art practice?
RW: I'm a data scientist - I solve other people's math problems for a living. Obviously having a 9-5 job makes it hard to find time and energy to devote to my art. On the other hand, the stress of the day provides plenty of frustration to work through during my creative process.
Another upside - my other job exposes me to new mathematics and techniques all the time - which gives me more tools to work with.
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| Rose Wheeler. “Sea Forest.” 2021. Digital Art on Cardstock, 11”x11”. $100, including frame. |
RP: What is it about your preferred medium that you enjoy the most?
RW: I love the process of discovery in digital art. I love beginning with something and then manipulating it until it is transformed into something very different.
I love the exactness of it. I can define a perfect circle in code - the rest is bringing that into reality.
I also love being able to save all of my mistakes - digital art lets me keep every step in my process. Oftentimes the mistakes can lead to beautiful final results.
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| Rose Wheeler. “Coral 1.” 2021. Digital Art on Cardstock, 11”x11”. $100, including frame. |
RP: Do you have a studio routine? Most creative time of day to work? Process of thinking or setting up before you begin making?
RW: My most creative time of day is nighttime. I put my kiddos to bed, stretch and head up to my office. Sometimes I'll listen to music in the background. Something about nighttime wakes up my brain - it's when I have my best ideas.
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| Rose Wheeler. “Pink Starfish.” 2021. Digital Art on Cardstock, 11”x11”. $100, including frame. |
RP: What advice would you give your younger artist self?
RW: I'd say 2 things:
1. Just because your approach to art is different doesn't mean your voice isn't valid.
2. No one is just one thing. You are an artist.
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| Rose Wheeler. “Sea Flower.” 2021. Digital Art on Cardstock, 11”x11”. $100, including frame. |
RP: What do you wish someone would ask you about you or your art?
RW: I would love to meet a fellow math nerd who wanted to see all of my equations and code that produce what I make. Someday I'll meet the person who wants to see my parametric equations and R code.
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| Artist Rose Wheeler's studio. |
RP: On what are you currently working?
RW: Lately I've been really inspired by corals and seaweed. (My kids are very into Octonauts right now, and we watch Blue Planet to go to sleep at night.) I've been coding variations of those shapes recently.
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| Rose Wheeler. “Anemone 1.” 2021. Digital Art on Cardstock, 11”x11”. $100, including frame. |
RP; What motivates you to continue making art?
RW: I just love doing it. A few years ago, when we had our first baby, I was tired all the time and alone more than I was used too. During that time, I made nothing but mandalas, intricate patterns that kind of took my mind off of things. With COVID and all the other terrors of 2020, this year I've made a ton of flowers and things related to gardens. I'm sure I'll keep working and using my art to process whatever is going on in my life.
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| St. Louis-based artist Rose Wheeler. |
About the artist: Rose Wheeler was born in the St. Louis area and has lived there her whole life.
She has always had a passion for mathematics and for art. She still carries her favorite calculator with her in her work bag on the off chance she needs to explore some equations.
During college where she earned her PhD in Mathematics, she developed a love of teaching, and enjoys mentoring opportunities and learning from people she works with. Nowadays she solves other people's math problems in code by day and explores her own math problems through art by night.
Rose hopes you smile at what she makes and that her work shows how mathematics and art can be linked.
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SUZANNE MCCUDDEN
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| Featured in Art Saint Louis’ virtual exhibit, “Hope”: Suzanne McCudden, Webster Groves, MO. “Blue Burst.” 2020. Alcohol Ink on Yupo Paper, 7”x5”. $50 unframed. Artist’s statement: “My initial challenge was, could I possibly, using these media, totally new to me, make something that beautiful (the work of other artists)? Acrylic paint, alcohol ink, resin? I knew tempera, water color, oil, clay, paper. Professionally, I knew data. Numbers added up/programs worked, GOOD!! No/not, BAD!! This artwork is one of my works which met this challenge. New media, pleasing colors and design. Hopefully others will be positively affected.” |
About the artist: Suzanne McCudden is semi-retired and works part time for the Missouri Institute of Mental Health at the University of Missouri St. Louis. This allows her time to indulge in newly found interests, including acrylic painting, alcohol ink designs and resin arts.
A native of Kansas City, she has been a St. Louis resident for more than 40 years. She earned a BA from KU Lawrence and a MA from SIU Edwardsville. Despite no formal art training, she is fascinated by the myriad color combinations and design potential of the acrylic/alcohol ink/resin media and enjoys experimenting with various media and substrates.
She has little interest in financially profiting from her art and simply enjoys producing eye pleasing works which she displays at home and gives to friends who express interest in the products.
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| Suzanne McCudden. “Seasonal Flowers.” 2020. Acohol Ink on Yupo, 5”x8”. $25. |
Roxanne Phillips: What was it that first prompted your career/activity as an artist?
Suzanne McCudden: Being partially retired with more free time, plus the added requirement of today’s home-centered, socially distanced life-style, has encouraged me to resume past artistic activities and to explore new media. Exposure to the work of others as seen in galleries and on-line has opened up new avenues of expression.
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| Suzanne McCudden. “Evening Blossom.” 2019. Acohol Ink on Mat Board, 11”x8”. $30. |
RP: What is the biggest point of inspiration for your artwork?
SM: I find ideas for designs and sculptures in the colors, patterns, and shapes I encounter while on walks and while looking at the work of others in galleries and online. I follow websites/videos of several artists (Myriam’s Nature, Sue Findlay, The Frugal Resinista) and have joined a few on-line groups of artists who take interest in working with resin, alcohol inks and acrylic paints.
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| Suzanne McCudden. “Lighting the Way.” 2021. Mixed Media, Alochol Ink on Dura Lar Embedded in Resin, Electric Night Light, 5”x6”x3”. $25. |
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| Suzanne McCudden. “Jellyfish.” 2020. Resin on Monofilament, 10”x4”. $30. |
RP: What do you find most challenging/rewarding about the creative process?
SM: Even though my style is non-representational/impressionistic/unintentional, often, especially when using alcohol inks or acrylics, I begin a project with an idea in mind, only to see it progress in a markedly different direction than I had planned. The results vary, sometimes I am surprised and pleased, at other times disappointed. Techniques which appear easy to master often turn out to be very difficult. On occasion, pieces initially thought to be failures can be “recovered” and even go on to inspire future work.
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| Suzanne McCudden. “Vase on Pedestal.” 2020. Resin, Sea Glass, 7”x8”. $50. |
A recent comment from a friend that she is “enjoying your beautiful bowl. These days I can really use some extra sparkle, and there I have it! Such good energy and I love that it comes from you!” was very encouraging.
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| Suzanne McCudden. “Spring Burst.” 2020. Acrylic Paint, Dutch Pour on Canvas, 8”x8”. $15. |
Improving our surroundings and giving people the opportunity to experience interesting and pleasing sights and sensations with resulting lowering of anxiety, depression and stress is a major goal of my work.
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| Suzanne McCudden. “Long Meeting.” 2019. Ballpoint Ink, Gel Pens, Construction Paper, Typing Paper, 8.5”x11”. $30. |
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| St. Louis-based artist Suzanne McCudden's studio. |
RP: What is it about your preferred medium that you enjoy the most?
SM: At present, resin, pouring and molding, is my most favorite medium. The variety of products to be fashioned, the opportunity to use myriad sources for color, texture and design seem boundless. By example I will cite discovery to date of how to fashion vases, bowls, lighted towers, night lights, sun catchers, designs on canvas and glass, and other free-standing sculptures.
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| St. Louis-based artist Suzanne McCudden's studio. |
RP: Do you have a sketchbook? What kinds of things do you put in it?
SM: I do not have a sketchbook in the conventional sense, but have developed a way of self-entertaining (primarily during long, boring work meetings) which might be termed “doodling.” The designs I produce using ink and paper are later colored over with gel pens and cut around with fine blade craft scissors to produce designs which can be used to enhance gift boxes/envelopes etc.
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| Suzanne McCudden. “Diving Lesson.” 2020. Acohol Ink on Yupo, 5”x5”. $25. |
RP: On what are you currently working ?
SM: My current favorite product is a series of plug-in night lights. These are made in a four-step process by creating alcohol ink designs on clear DuraLar, cutting and embedding the design in resin with glitter/glass borders, then mounting of a plug-in base.
My biggest challenges not met to-date are mastering the feather pour and chain pull techniques with acrylic paints.
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| Suzanne McCudden. “Flame Wall.” 2020. Resin, Glitter, Crushed Glass, Sea Glass, Color-Changing Tea Light, 8”x4”x5”. $75. |
RP: Has rejection ever affected your creative process? If so, how?
SM: Others’ lack of enthusiasm about my work is never pleasant to experience. Submitting work to an exhibit or gallery and not being accepted is disappointing. Not hearing back after a submission is even worse. “Did they receive my submission? Not like it? Thought it was good but the others were better?”
I would like everyone to feel as positive about my efforts as I do! However, when I see the work of the many others who inspire me, I am aware that there are so many talented people pursuing their craft, so many with long years of training and practice. I try to content myself that many are so generous with their ideas/gifts/talents and that I can take advantage of their shared experience.
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| St. Louis artist Suzanne McCudden. |
Learn more about Suzanne McCudden: www.elmwoodavearts.com
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Roxanne Phillips
is an artist and art educator based in St. Louis since 2001. She earned
a MFA in Printmaking & Drawing from Washington University in St.
Louis and BFA in Painting & Drawing from University of North Texas.
Roxanne is an adjunct art instructor at Washington University in
St. Louis and has worked with Art Saint Louis
since 2017 as Administrative Assistant and Installer. From 2018-2020
she was Master Printer for Pele Prints. Her works have been featured in
numerous exhibitions
throughout the St. Louis region including at Art Saint Louis, Crossroads
Art Studio & Gallery, and St. Louis Artists’ Guild. Her work is
currently available at Union Studio in St. Louis. She has served as
exhibit Juror for several regional exhibits & art fairs. Roxanne is
past Board member of St. Louis Women’s Caucus for Art.
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