Mixed Media Cods

Item Description

Title & Artist:  "Codasaurus #2" – by Susan J. Schrader

Medium & Size:  Nails, thread, glue, ink, acrylic, and glass on wood.  21 7/8" L x 8 5/8" H x 3/4" D.  For indoor display only.

Artist Statement:  My work is about life. About release. About letting go. About giving oneself up to what life has to offer: happiness, love, friendship, wonderment, grasping/releasing. My paintings show my love of drawing! I draw very organically with India ink on the blank canvas and see what creatures come to life. Then I begin to add my color—I'm in love with bright, vibrant colors and loads of detail—dots upon dots!

My paintings are about life and love and friendships. They are about relationships within yourself as well as with other people and moments in life. I communicate emotions through the simplicity of my quirky, little figures. These creatures live amongst themselves on their own or together in a moment in time. How they themselves interact with each other upon the surface of the canvas invites us to perhaps ponder how we feel when we are faced with a moment in our own lives that brings us connection to someone or something.

Artist Biography:  I am a visual artist and book illustrator living in Marblehead. I received a BFA in 1993 at Queen's University in Canada and an MFA in 1996 at Illinois State University, where I studied drawing, printmaking, painting, and art history. I have shown my work in solo exhibitions and many group shows both locally and throughout Canada and the US, and my work is in numerous private collections.

I have worked as a printmaker's assistant and enjoyed various opportunities to teach drawing, printmaking, and painting over the years. My first book as a book illustrator was published this past fall and contains 16 of my ink and watercolor paintings.

My passion remains in my studio. Currently I am working on a new series of drawings and paintings on canvas and paper. My work comprises whimsical pen and ink drawings that feature fanciful creatures in a city-like landscape that are rich in color, full of creative patterns and bizarre movements. My latest series is focused on abstracted human figures that float and dance about the surface of the canvas.

Raising our two boys and dog, as well as soaking up the culture and art during several extensive family trips, have added fuel to my creative fire. These trips to India, South Africa, Australia, Hawaii, and Florence, Italy, for example, have given me much inspiration! Now that our boys are older, I have found a renewed energy and focus within myself. This rejuvenated creative drive is reflected throughout my drawings and paintings.

Hosting Business:  "Codasaurus #2" is on display at Marblehead Arts Association, King Hooper Mansion, 8 Hooper St., Marblehead, MA.

Item Special Note

Pick-up of purchased cods will be on Wednesday evening, July 5. Winning bidder will receive a notification email with information on pick-up time and location.

If winning bidder requires shipping, winner's credit card will be charged a separate $24.95 fee to cover USPS ground and handling. Shipping is available within the U.S. only and must be requested within 7 days after receipt of the notification email.

Any cod purchased via "Buy Now" will remain on display at the hosting business through the end of the auction, and will be available for pick-up as detailed in the winning bidder notification email.

If winning bidder has not picked up cod (or provided shipping address) within 30 days after the close of the auction, cod will become the property of Marblehead Festival of Arts, Inc.

Click here to see the other decorated cods up for bid in our Cods of a Different Color online auction!

To learn more about the Marblehead Festival of Arts, visit www.marbleheadfestival.org.
To make a tax-deductible donation, visit www.marbleheadfestival.org/donations.