Join us for our first, First Friday in Colorado springs ft Sue fody!
328 N Nevada Ave, Colorado Springs
8.7.2026, 5-8pm
Featuring local artist Sue Fody
Artist Q&A
1. What are you currently working on?
I usually have several paintings going on at once. Right now I am working on a tree scape study, a party of cacti, a scene from a local outdoor museum, and enlarging a landscape from a Plein air piece of a hike I was on. As a plein air artist, I paint outside about two times weekly, so there's always something new going on.
2. What was the best day at work you've had in the past three months?
A recent super - fun day for me was during a recent trip to New Mexico at an international pastel convention. We had a bicycle ride in the very early morning followed by a session of Plein air painting. Combining two passions in the same morning was exhilarating! The rest of the day involved eating great food and seeing some amazing art.
3. How did you arrive where you are today?
The road to where I am today has been varied and fun. I was always the artist from the time I was a child. I majored in art in college, taught some art, then went on to a very creative career in corporate instructional design and training. I began incorporating visuals into my training designs when I realized people could learn better by seeing concepts. That led to another career path of graphic recording where I created huge formatted visual maps by drawing (live) what was being discussed during training sessions and important meetings. That way participants could a see what they were saying and observe the big picture!
As I intentionally close doors, I open new ones. I am now immersed in the world of pastels, capturing the beauty around us and creating landscapes of the local area.
4. What do you do outside of work?
I love being outside. I moved away from New York City after college and came out to Colorado. The transition was dramatic on so many levels. Infatuated with the environment, I lived (in my eyes) the Colorado dream. After raising my family, I am able to focus what me and what I want in my life. Right now that is biking, hiking, painting and drawing…among many other activities and relationships that make life rich and rewarding.
5. What are your thoughts about your city's creative scene for artists, designers, crafters, makers, and/or small businesses?
I live in south Denver (Littleton/Highlands Ranch area). I belong to the Pastel Society, PAAC (Plein Air Artists of Colorado) and the Littleton Fine Arts Guild. The more I talk to people, the more art groups I discover. There is so much opportunity for artists, both emerging, professional and all stages in between. There are so many avenues to learn from peers and professionals, and so many opportunities to show and sell your work. It's pretty exciting, and the local scene is rich for artists and art appreciators
6. Where do you find inspiration?
I find inspiration from the outdoors. Hiking, biking and painting brings me to beautiful sites. Taking one photo of a beautiful scene often shows the artist several different paintings in one photograph. Certainly, being in nature is sometimes overwhelming with the number of paintings I could make standing in the same spot.
7. What is your biggest challenge?
My biggest challenge (and joy) is the opportunity to keep growing as an artist. The learning never stops, and the yearning to continually improve is one of the drivers that challenges me to keep going out there and making better and more vibrant painting. Something unique to pastel artists is also the challenge to acquire more pastels...to get just the right color (which is something we are always seeking).
