SUE BARRASI

After graduating from the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan, Sue Barrasi travelled throughout Europe studying the works of the masters, especially drawn to the works of Claude Monet and Joaquin Bastida Sorolla. With New York as her home base, she continued to explore different landscapes and cultures, financing her sojourns by freelancing for various magazines and ad agencies.

 Ms. Barrasi continued her artistic training at the Art Students League where she began accruing awards and scholarships. Supplementing her income by designing postage stamps, book covers, images for men's apparel, as well as international logos and backdrops for Off-Broadway productions, she continued to compete in regional and international painting competitions. At the Ridgewood Art Institute she studied with John Phillip Osborne; his collective impact on her sensibilities can not be overstated. It was under his tutelage that she began to explore the prismatic palette, an artistic journey she continues to this day.

 Over the course of her career, she has been honored with numerous awards and residencies, including  a New York State Council of the Arts Individual Artist Grant that allowed her to explore and exhibit plein air painting throughout the Hudson Valley. She has also taught at several art schools, including the Ridgewood Art Institute and the Rockland Center of the Arts.

 “Brushing strokes of energy on canvas I try to express the natural beauty surrounding me. It is my intent to create serene but compelling images letting emotions guide my work. Whether I am exploring the abstract possibilities of paint, inebriated by studying the shifts in colors or mesmerized by sunlight I know that painting is not just my passion but my addiction. I am grateful I get to do what I love and paint.”

Ms. Barrasi has been published in numerous newspapers and magazines including the Huffington Post and Plein Air Magazine, and was featured in International Artist Magazine. A proud member of Oil Painters of America, American Artists Professional League,  Women Artists of the West, a resident artist of the Salmagundi Club in NYC and a lifetime member of the Art Student League, her works hang in private collections and museums.