Susan Dory is a process-oriented painter who begins each painting without a preconceived image in mind. Instead, she starts with a concept that has developed from reading and taking in a lot of information, and a color palette she wants to explore. She works flat and demands particular materials: acrylic paint at about the viscosity of house paint and clear acrylic medium. The first step in the process is to brush paint onto the canvas in a pattern or shapes that reflect her original idea. Then she pours on clear coat, a type of acrylic varnish, to seal it. This process continues until she is finished and may involve up to seventeen layers.
Education
1987 Iowa State University, Ames, IA, BA
1987-89 Independent study/travel in India, Southeast Asia, Middle East and Europe
Selected Exhibitions
2022
Salon Style, TEW Galleries, Atlanta, GA
2021
Susan Dory and Ryan Fenchel, TEW Galleries, October, Atlanta, GA
Salon Style, TEW Galleries, August, Atlanta, GA
2020
Organized Abstraction, Tew Galleries, Atlanta, GA
Cut Up, Winston Wachter Fine Art, Seattle, WA
2019
Exotic Mass, Winston Wachter Fine Art, Seattle, WA
2018
Vision Division, Winston Wachter Fine Art, New York, NY
2016
Micromega, Winston Wachter Fine Art, Seattle, WA
Motherlode, Winston Wachter Fine Art, New York, NY
2015
Remains to be Seen, Geoffrey Young Gallery, Great Barrington, MA
If Not For You, Geoffrey Young Gallery, Great Barrington, MA
2013
Jetset, Guthrie Contemporary, New Orleans, LA
2012
Petits Tableaux, Winston Wächter Fine Art, Seattle, WA
Contiguous, Winston Wächter Fine Art, Seattle, WA
Persistent Mutualism, Winston Wächter Fine Art, New York, NY
2011
Kittredge Art Gallery, University of Puget Sound, Marked: Michelle Grabner,
Margie Livingston, Susan Dory, Tacoma, WA
Synthetic, Winston Wächter Fine Art, Seattle, WA
2010
Tacoma Art Museum, Neddy Artist Fellows, Tacoma, WA
Guthrie Contemporary, New Paintings, New Orleans, LA
Polychrome, Winston Wächter Fine Art, Seattle, WA
2009
The Shape of the Plan, Walker Contemporary, Boston, MA
Schemata, Guthrie Contemporary, New Orleans, LA
2008
Opsis, Winston Wächter Fine Art, Seattle, WA
Summer Group Show, 212 Gallery, Aspen, CO
2007
Group Show, Winston Wächter Fine Art, Seattle, WA
New Paintings, Winston Wächter Fine Art, New York, NY
8th NW Biennial Tacoma Art Museum, Tacoma, WA
2006
Sequence Bias, Winston Wächter Fine Art, Seattle, WA
2005
Abstraction, Winston Wächter Fine Art, Seattle, WA
A Decade of Excellence: Celebrating the Neddy Artist Fellowship, Tacoma Art Museum,
Tacoma, WA
North by Northwest, Winston Wächter Fine Art, New York, NY
Paintings That Paint Themselves, or So it Seems, Kresge Art Museum,
Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI
Lucky 7, Winston Wächter Fine Art, Seattle, WA
2004
Hidden Treasures, Nathan Laramendy Gallery, Ojai, CA
About the House, Howard House, Seattle, WA
Strata, Davidson Gallery, Seattle, WA
YSA Group Exhibition, Howard House, Seattle, WA
2003
Works on Paper, Catharine Clark Gallery, SCOPE Miami, FL
Surface Tension, Traveling exhibit from Mills College, Oakland, CA
Arthouse, Western Washington Gallery, University of Western Washington, Bellingham, WA
New American 18, curated by Dominic Molon, Austin, TX
46th Annual International Exhibit, curated by Hugh M. Davies, San Diego Art Institute,
San Diego, CA
Shift, Howard House, Seattle, WA
Breathing Room, Margaret Thatcher Projects, New York, NY
Cheap Thrills, Henry Art Gallery, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
Dreamy, Margaret Thatcher Projects, New York, NY
Abstraction, Winston Wächter Fine Art, Seattle, WA
Surface Tension, Mills College, Oakland, CA, curated by Katie Crum, traveling to Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA
Contours: Extended Painting, curated by Matthew Kangas & Lisa Baldissera (catalogue), Art Gallery of Greater Victoria, Victoria, BC, Canada
2001
TimeMotion, Catharine Clark Gallery, San Francisco, CA
10, Catharine Clark Gallery, San Francisco, CA
Lineformcolor: from Abstraction to Architecture, Howard House, Seattle, WA
2000
Group Show, Gensler & Associates, Los Angeles, CA
Northwest Annual, curated by Brian Wallace, Bellevue Art Museum, Bellevue, WA
Paintings, Howard House, Seattle, WA
Group Show, Rudolph Poissant Gallery, Houston, TX
Air Hockey, Howard House, Seattle, WA
1999
Pansy, Catharine Clark Gallery, San Francisco, CA
Fresh Flowers, Curated by Brian Wallace, Bellevue Art Museum, Bellevue, WA
Northwest Annual, curated by Jon Tupper, Bellevue Art Museum, Bellevue, WA
New American Talent: The Fourteenth Exhibition, curated by Amada Cruz, Austin Museum of Art, Austin, TX
1998
Hallwalls, Howard House, Seattle, WA
Northwest Annual, curated by Brian Wallace, Bellevue Art Museum, Bellevue, WA
PONCHO Invitational Art Exhibition, SeaFirst Gallery, Seattle, WA
Introductions, Seattle Art Museum Rental Sales Gallery, Seattle, WA
Linda Cannon Gallery, Seattle, WA
1997
Inaugural Exhibition, Howard House, Seattle, WA
Northwest Annual, curated by Katharyn Kanjo, Bellevue Art Museum, Bellevue, WA
Bibliography
2016 Art in Libraries: A Visual Journey of Possibilities, Knowledge and Imagination, King County
Library System, Community Relations and Graphics Department,
2016 Manitach, Amanda, “Band Above”, City Arts, May 2016
2015 "In a New Avatar", Blouin Artinfo, The Americas Edition, Summer 2015
Allen, Libby, “Finding Nostalgia Through Color.” Art New Orleans Magazine, 2012.
Graves, Jen, “Art in Transit.” The Stranger, 6 March, 2012.
Art Ltd., Cover Image and review, March/April, 2012
Kronick, Julie, “Humming While You Shop.” Seattle City Arts, October 2009.
Bibliography Continued:
Vivre Voyager, “Pop Goes the West.” Summer 2008.
Rowe, Lindsey, “Artists We Love.” Seattle Homes & Lifestyles, April 2008.
Kangas, Matthew, “Creating and Enjoying Art for the Sake of Art.” Seattle Times, 17, February 2006.
Hackett, Regina, “Susan Dory’s Grids Set Their Own Rhythm.” Seattle PI, 27, January 2006.
Faigin, Gary, “Review of Brian Murphy and Susan Dory at Winston Wächter Fine Art.” 19, January 2006. WA NPR affiliate KUOW, Seattle, WA
Kangas, Mathew, “Abstractions and Revelations,” Seattle Times, 8, July 2005.
Hackett, Regina, “Abstraction is a good sign for Winston Wächter,” Seattle Post Intelligencer, 8, July 2005.
Kangas, Matthew, “Young Stars and Abstract Stripes Captivate in New Group Shows.” Seattle Times, 12, December 2003.
Hackett, Regina, “YSA.” Seattle Post Intelligencer, 12, December 2003.
Johnson, Ken, “Dreamy.” New York Times, 26, April 2002.
Thompson, Sandy, “Surface Tension at Mills College.” Artweek, April 2002.
DeVuono, Francis, “Abstraction at Winston Wächter Fine Art.” Artweek, April 2002.
Kangas, Matthew, “Abstraction.” Seattle Times, January 2002.
Golonu, Berin, “Jill Weinstock and Susan Dory.” Artweek, June 2001.
Kangas, Matthew, “Susan Dory at Howard House.” Art in America, September 2000.
Kangas, Matthew, “Four young artists embraced the pleasures of the abstract world.” Seattle Times, 14, April 2000.
Hackett, Regina, “Stream of Fluid Abstraction Connects Engaging Works by Trio of Local Artists.” Seattle Post Intelligencer, 21, April 2000.
Fredrickson, Eric, Art Bio, The Stranger, 6-12, April 2000.
Rose, Cynthia, “Air Hockey.” Seattle Times, 2, December 1999.
Sims, Lowry New American Paintings, The Open Studio Press, Dec/Jan 1999-2000.
Hackett, Regina, Seattle Post Intelligencer, July, 1999
Kangas, Matthew, “BAM NW Annual.” Seattle Times, June 1999.
Kangas, Matthew, “Bold in Bellevue.” Seattle Times, July 1998.
Hackett, Regina, “Northwest Annual at BAM is Nice Surprise.” Seattle Post Intelligencer,
July 1999.
Kangas, Matthew, “SAM’S RSG Offers Sales - and Shows Too.” Seattle Times, July 1998.
Bell, Clare, “New American Painting.” The Open Studio Press, Oct/Nov 1997.
Kangas, Matthew, “Pleasant Changes Enrich BAM.” Seattle Times, July 1997.
Updike, Robin, “Bellevue Annual Sparks Vitality of Art Scene.” Seattle Times, June 1997.
Bryant, Elizabeth, “Six of One, Half Dozen of the Other.” Art Access, December 1996.
Time Capsule, “A Concise Encyclopedia by Women Artists.” Creative Time/ SOS International, DAP, 1995.
Awards
2015 Betty Bowen Award Finalist, Seattle Art Museum, Seattle WA
2014 Ballinglen Art Foundation, Artist Fellowship, Ballycastle, County Mayo, Ireland
2005 The Willard R. Espy Foundation, Artist-in-Residence Fellowship, Oysterville, WA
2004 Seattle Arts Commission, Public Art Purchase Award
2003 The Neddy Award, Behnke Foundation Artist Fellowship
2003 Artist Trust/WA State Arts Commission Fellowship Grant
2002 King County Office of Cultural Affairs, Purchase Award
2001 Pollock-Krasner Foundation Grant
2001 Artist Trust GAP Grant
1999 Seattle Arts Commission, Artist Grant, Seattle Collects
1998 Texas Fine Arts Association, New American Talent: The 14th Exhibition, Curators Award
1997 Bellevue Art Museum, Pacific Northwest Annual, Juror’s Award
1997 Centrum Foundation, Artist-in-Residence Fellowship, Port Townsend, WA
1997 ArtSpace/CARBO Group Show, Best of Show Award
Public Works and Collections
Ballinglen Arts Foundation, Ballycastle, Ireland
King County Library System, Public Art Commission, Sammamish, WA
Hewlett Packard, Plano, TX
William Clements Jr. University Hospital, University of Texas, Dallas, TX
Iberia Bank, New Orleans, LA
Neiman Marcus, Bellevue, WA
TF Green International Airport, Public Art Commission, Warwick, RI
Tacoma Art Museum, Tacoma, WA
Everett Events Center, Public Art Commission, Everett, WA
Art in Embassy Program, Vientiane, Laos, US Embassy
4Culture Portable Works Collection, Seattle, WA
King County Arts Commission, Public Art Purchase Award, Seattle, WA
Seattle Arts Commission, Seattle, WA
Microsoft Collection, Redmond, WA
Vulcan Enterprises, Bellevue, WA
W Hotel, Chicago, IL
City of Seattle, Seattle, WA
Swedish Hospital, Seattle, WA
Swedish Hospital, Issaquah, WA
Nordstrom Headquarters, Seattle, WA
Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas, NV
Spa Resort Casino, Palm Springs, CA
TEW Galleries is one of Atlanta's Leading Contemporary Galleries since 1987
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