Susan Searway-Fertig

Artist Statement

Susan Searway-Fertig is a contemporary artist whose work resonates with themes of personal identity, memory, and the human experience, often merging elements of abstraction with figuration. Her practice is marked by an intense exploration of materials and process, giving each piece a dynamic sense of texture, movement, and emotional depth.

Searway-Fertig’s work frequently incorporates mixed media, blending traditional art forms with experimental techniques. She is particularly known for her use of bold color palettes and tactile surfaces that invite viewers to engage with the physicality of the work. Whether creating digital art, large-scale paintings, drawings, or photographic works, Searway-Fertig’s art reflects a deep engagement with both the material world and the psychological spaces that shape human existence.

One hallmark of her approach is her ability to communicate complex, abstract ideas through figurative imagery. Her figures, often stylized or fragmented, seem to emerge from a vibrant, almost dreamlike background, creating a tension between the familiar and the unknown. These figures can evoke a sense of fragility, introspection, and resilience, capturing moments of emotional depth that are both personal and universal.

Searway-Fertig’s art often feels autobiographical, yet it also resonates with collective human experience. Themes of growth, transformation, movement, and the passage of time are explored through a language of color, form, and texture. Her works seem to speak of memory’s fluidity and the ways in which past experiences shape present identity. There is a sense of constant evolution in her pieces, as if each work is part of an ongoing dialogue between the artist, the materials, and the viewer.

Through her work, Susan Searway-Fertig invites us to consider the complex interplay between our inner lives and the outer world. Her art suggests that understanding ourselves is an ongoing process, one that is constantly evolving and changing, much like the fluid, shifting surfaces and forms she creates.

Biography

UPCOMING OPEN STUDIOS | ART FESTIVALS
– Marin Open Studios, San Rafael, CA May 2025
– C Street Celebration, Youth in Arts, San Rafael, CA, May 17, 2025
– Novato Festival of Art, Wine & Music 2025, Novato, CA, June 9 & 10, 2025
– Alameda Art & Wine Faire 2025, Alameda, CA July 26 & 27, 2025

OPEN STUDIOS | ART FESTIVALS
Lafayette of Art & Wine Festival 2022, Lafayette, CA, September 17 & 18, 2022 – Healdsburg Arts Festival 2022, Healdsburg, CA, August 26, 27, & 28, 2022 – Petaluma Art & Garden Festival 2022, Petaluma, CA, July 10, 2022 – Novato Festival of Art, Wine & Music 2022, Novato, CA, June 18 & 19, 2022 – Marin Open Studios, San Rafael, CA May 2022 – Novato Festival of Art, Wine, & Music, Novato, CA, August 21 & 22, 2021 – Novato Art Stroll 2021, Novato, CA, June 26 & 27, 2021 – San Rafael Arts & Crafts Festival, San Rafael, CA, November 29, 2020 – Summer Sidewalk Sale, San Rafael, CA, August 18, 2018 – Marin Open Studios, San Rafael, CA May 2012 – Marin Art Council Open Studios, San Rafael, CA May 2011 – Marin Arts Council Open Studios, San Rafael, CA May 1 & 2,8 & 9, 2010 – Marin Art Council Open Studios, San Rafael, CA May 9-10, 2009. – San Rafael Food & Wine Festival, Art Booth #53, San Rafael, CA August 16, 2008. MEMBERSHIP – Art Works Downtown Member, Studio #32, since 2020-Present – Marin Professional Women Network Member, Graphic Design, Website Design, Social Media Marketing since 2012–Present – Art Store Fronts Member, 2020-Present – Art Works Downtown Member, Studio #18, since 2012–2020. – Art Works Downtown Member, Studio #24, since 2008-2012. – Marin Professional Women Network Member, Website Designer, 2008-2012

Art Medium(s)

Oil Paint, Watercolor, Drawing, Digital Art, Photography, Mixed Media

Group Exhibitions

ART on Exhibit

UPCOMING ART FESTIVALS | OPEN STUDIOS | ART WALKS

2nd Friday Art Walk

Art Works Downtown, 1337 4th St., Studio #32, San Rafael, CA 94901
2nd Fridays 5-8pm: 2/10, 3/10, 4/14, 5/12, 6/9, 7/14, 8/11, 9/8, 10/13, 11/10, 12/8
View Susan’s AWD Profile

Marin Open Studios 2024
Art Works Downtown, 1337 4th St., Studio #32, San Rafael, CA 94901
May 11 & 12, 2024
View Susan’s MOS Profile

Novato Festival of Art, Wine & Music 2024
Downtown Novato | Grant Street
June 8 & 9, 2024

Alameda Art & Wine Faire 2024
Downtown Alameda | Park Street & Central Ave.
July 27 & 28, 2024

Lafayette Art & Wine Festival 2024
Downtown Lafayette
September 21 & 22, 2024

Highlights Below: View complete resume at
https://www.susansearwayart.com/art-resume

– Capturing Movement, Solo Exhibition
Thompson/Dorfman Invitational, Mill Valley, CA, 2023

– Gotta Dance, Solo Exhibition
Stapleton School of the Performing Arts, San Anselmo, CA, 2023

– The Small Works Exhibit, Group Exhibition
Art Works Downtown, Gallery 1337, San Rafael, CA, 2022-2022

– Cornucopia – AWD Member’s Exhibition 2022, Group Exhibition
Art Works Downtown, 1325 Donors’ Gallery, San Rafael, CA, 2022-2023

– Let’s Move – Artwork inspired by Nature + Dance, Solo Exhibition
ThriVia Chiropractic and Natural Health, Artist Gallery Wall, San Rafael, CA, 2022

– AWD Member’s Exhibition 2021, Group Exhibition
Art Works Downtown, Underground Gallery, San Rafael, CA, 2021-2022

– The Essential Figure, Group Exhibition
The Bothwell Arts Center, Livermore, CA, 2021

– A Grapevine’s Persona, Solo Exhibition
Art Works Downtown, Artist Wall, San Rafael, CA, 2017

– Bacchus and Venus, Group Exhibition
Wine Tasting and Art Gallery, Sausalito, CA, 2016

– Form Revealed: Barbara Andino-Stevenson, Nini Lion, & Susan Searway-Fertig
Dominican University of California, Science Building, San Rafael, CA, 2014-2015

– Persona: A Figurative Study, Solo Exhibition
A Woman’s Eye Gallery, San Francisco, CA 2009

– Persona: A Digital Series, Solo Exhibition
City Café, San Rafael, CA 2008

– Persona: Soul, Enthusiasm, & Oneness, Solo Exhibition
Sonoma Academy of Dance & Arts, Sonoma, CA, 2008-2013

– Affinity: Art & Science II Group Exhibition
Dominican University of California, Science Building, San Rafael, CA, 2008

– Persona: Individual Unity, Solo Exhibition
Dominican University of California, Human Resources in Bertrand Hall, San Rafael, CA, 2008

– Affinity: Art & Science | Grand Opening for Science Building, Group Exhibition
Dominican University of California, San Rafael, CA, 2007-2008

– Persona: A Digital Art Series, Solo Exhibition
Bay Model Visitor Center, Sausalito, CA 2005

Publications

– Dominican University of California Alumni Profiles: Susan Searway-Fertig, June 2016, Article in Alumni Newsletter and Website:https://tinyurl.com/susansearwayartdesign
– Susan Searway article, Artist Culture, Digital Publication, Pages 64–67, August 2013
– Persona – Profile Green Figure Study (Watercolor) Featured in The Pacific Sun, November 21-27, 2008 edition for Small Works Exhibit, pages 44.
– Illusions of Reality (ISBN: 0-7951-5302-3) Printed by The International Library of Photography, 2007, pages 185 & 226 (Featuring Photograph Presence).
– National Conference on Undergraduate Research. San Rafael, CA: Dominican University of California, 2006 (Cover Images, Quote, & Abstract).
– NCUR 2004 18th National Conference on Undergraduate Research Abstract Book, Indianapolis, IN: Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, 2004, page 146.
– Text Transformation: A Look at Illuminated Manuscript. San Rafael, CA; Dominican University of California, 2004.
– Persona. San Rafael, CA; Dominican University of California, 2004.
– Images of Africa. San Rafael, CA; Dominican University of California, 2002.

Awards

– Second Place Computer Generated Art for Individuality (Digital Art) Juried Fine Arts and Crafts Exhibition Marin County Fair, San Rafael, CA 2006.
– 2006 Editor’s Choice Award for Presence (Photography)
The International Library of Photography (www.picture.com), 2006.

New Art Merchandise

Unboxing time…

First a reminder that my Art Studio is now open to the public!!! I am trying to be in the studio space most Thursday and Friday afternoons with some Saturdays here and there. Feel free to email or DM if you want to make sure I am there. Art Works Downtown is open from 1-8pm Thursdays-Sundays.

Secondly I just got some new art prints, limited editions, and some art merchandise: coasters, acrylic tray, etc. in the mail so I thought I would do a live unboxing today to see what I got. Let’s go.

So reminder I am in the studio today Thursday from 1-5 or 6pm. So please stop on by and look at some art for inspiration. I would love to see you. ⁣

See My Art Collection: susansearwayart.com