As a self-taught synergistic artist and owner of Sue Layman Designs, Sue Layman Lightman, has a passion for contemporary art. Her passion is reflected through her work as oil and canvas or paper combine with empowering brilliant colors and daring geometric shapes placed in arrangements that create unique dimensions.
Sue has always loved all types of art, but she never imagined that she would one day be an artist with her own gallery. She entered the art world after taking a step back from her job in public relations to reevaluate her life. She knew that God had a different path for her. For more than a year, she spent time praying and devoting herself to figuring out a new direction.
One day, Sue was inspired to go out and pick up a canvas and some oil paints. Without having any prior formal art training, she began spending many hours consumed in this new adventure. In the beginning, she never considered turning the endeavor into a business; she was just having fun and felt very fulfilled. She continued to pray daily for God to help and teach her, and to this day, she always feels His spirit with her as she paints.
“I feel each person has a gift to create. God is the Creator and I think He put that gift in every person,” Sue says.
As you can see in her work, Sue loves using eye-catching shapes and harmonious colors. She starts a piece by mixing together paints to create new colors that she uses to engulf the shapes. Each shape is designed to create a symbol that expresses a point or an explanation. As she paints, she is not just creating a painting but also a story, and from there, the adventure begins! She continues to be inspired by the finished products; they make her want to keep creating something to share with the world that has never been seen before.
“I believe that we are forced to contend with the forces of light and darkness,” she says. “What causes a person to desire one or the other has always been a mystery. In my paintings, these forces find harmony, rhythm and adventure.”
Check out Sue’s Tri-Star Arts profile. Tri-Star Arts serves Tennessee by spotlighting and growing the contemporary visual art scenes in each region and fostering a unified statewide art scene.
