​August 17 – December 5, 2021
Artist Reception: Saturday, September 11, 1:00-3:00 p.m.

Hours: Tuesday through Friday, 10 am to 5 pm; Saturday 10 am to 2 pm
$7.00 suggested admission (no charge for MHC members and children under 12).
There is handicap access to exhibits.

Please wear a mask over your nose and mouth and observe social distancing. Thank you for helping us all stay safe.

Artist, Susan Klinger began painting in watercolor, but made the transition to pastel many years ago.  “The first time I worked in pastel, I was intrigued by the direct application of pigment to the surface.” Realism has always been her primary focus, but pastel has allowed her to be more expressive and bold in her use of color.  “I enjoy the challenge of manipulating color and value to create the illusion of reality on the two-dimensional surface.”  Susan also continues to work in other medial from time to time and has been exploring abstraction as a way to express a different side of her artist personality. The two styles of working are quite different, yet each fulfills a need to express her artistic vision in a different way. 

​Her work has been exhibited in shows throughout the eastern U.S. including the Pastel Society of America Annual Juried Exhibition, the Northeast National Pastel Exhibition and the Shades of Pastel National Exhibition.  She exhibits regularly at Off the Wall Gallery in Skippack, PA and is also represented on-line through her own website, www.susanklinger.com and Xanadu Gallery in Scottsdale, AZ.   She is the recipient of numerous awards and honors, including awards in several national exhibitions.  She was also the recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award given by the Perkiomen Valley School District Foundation for promotion of the arts. She is a signature member of the Pastel Society of America, the Maryland Pastel Society and the Catharine Lorillard Wolfe Art Club.  She is an elected artist fellow of the American Artist’s Professional League and also a member of the Southeastern Pastel Society, Greater Norristown Art League, Perkiomen Valley Art Center, and the Montgomery County Guild of Professional Artists.

Ms. Klinger taught fine art at Perkiomen Valley High School in Collegeville, PA, for 34 years, until her retirement. During her tenure at Perkiomen Valley, she served as the chairperson of the fine arts department for 14 years and was the dual credit instructor in drawing and painting for Montgomery County Community College. She also has served as an adjunct instructor at Cabrini College and she has taught painting workshops for adults.  Currently, in addition to creating her art, she is teaching art privately.  She received a bachelor’s degree in art from Millersville University, and a master’s degree (M.Ed. Art) from Kutztown University.

Describing this show, Susan says: “This show offers a chronology of my artistic journey, from my early work in watercolor to my current work in pastel. My long career as a high school art teacher required me to offer instruction in other areas of art. Now retired, I cannot help but revisit some of those areas such as abstraction and portrait drawing. The diversity keeps me interested and growing. There was a saying about art teachers – ‘jack of all trades, master of none.’ That saying hit me hard. I decided early in my teaching career that I would be a master, and I chose painting and drawing for my focus.”