Sue Schlabach – Artist, photographer and upcycler living in Vermont. Viewer of the world through eyes and lens.

©Sue Schlabach

129twigandvine

I’m having flashbacks to playing the Memory Game

I’m having flashbacks to playing the Memory Game. All because my gorgeous new business cards arrived today and while turning imaginary cartwheels I laid them all out in a grid on the kitchen table. Thanks to @moo for your superb quality. Looking at all my little baby paintings makes me feel a sense of accomplishment and excitement to keep embarking on this artistic journey. Which image do you like best?

If you ever question whether one person can make a

If you ever question whether one person can make a difference by their actions, this field of lupines is your answer. My Dad transformed this hillside from a field of grass to naturalized lupine field that expands and shifts every year. He started 15 years ago with a few transplanted volunteer seedlings from his garden. Then he cut and spread seed heads in the years after that. After the spires become dry seed husks he mows the field which further distributes the seed. Daffodils come first and then the lupine. He was inspired by our neighbor Charlotte’s natural field garden and thought he’d try it. What did he have to lose by trying? I love my dad’s optimistic act all those years ago.
#starttoday #thebesttimetoplantatreewastwentyyearsagothenextbesttimeisnow #lupines

In the midst of a desk full of clutter, the sun sh

In the midst of a desk full of clutter, the sun shone upon this little tableau and made me happy. Hope you find a little happiness in something mundane today.

I wish you could smell this because it smells so g

I wish you could smell this because it smells so good.

Green, I love you in all your shades. Usually the

Green, I love you in all your shades. Usually the yellow greens get me going, but I’m learning to mix these yummy blue greens and we’ll see what emerald-laced dreamscapes that could lead to.

Miss my mama so much, love my daughter so much. Gr

Miss my mama so much, love my daughter so much. Grateful to all the mother spirits in my life. You don’t have to be a mother to be a mother spirit.

Not sure where this is going yet, but trying to si

Not sure where this is going yet, but trying to sink in to the process. Working from real flowers from @rebelheartcollective and they smell heavenly.

As a kid I woke before dawn to wash my face in the

As a kid I woke before dawn to wash my face in the dew to wash off my freckles. That obviously didn’t work.

This May Day the neighbors showed us how to truly celebrate, wreathing our heads in flowers and gathering on a windy hillside. A little old world charm as we navigate how to be in the world with each other again. Thanks for making it happen on your hilltop @willlisak #lostarts

All week I talk with and encourage artists for my

All week I talk with and encourage artists for my job. It’s wonderful, and I learn a lot from all of the people I interact with. Then Friday comes and I can find it hard to get in front of a canvas or a board and put my own marks down. Easy to compare myself and not put in the time to push myself forward in my own practice. Today I picked up smalls I started last summer en plein air but never finished. It feels good to lay down some spring greens and follow instincts. Make mistakes and not be too worried about it. It’s not a race.

We got our first vaccines yesterday. Sore arms thi

We got our first vaccines yesterday. Sore arms this morning, but no other side effects so far. Woke up to April snow. Feeling grateful and hopeful this morning. Spring will get here, creeping along, as it likes to do. Wishing you all a great Friday.
#thelittlebrickvt #aprilsnow #springcanreallyhungyouupthemost #istilllovevermont #pfizervaccine #thanksvermontmedical

Abstracting valley fog, layering muted colors. Not

Abstracting valley fog, layering muted colors. Not my go to palette, but it’s working tonight as I think of a friend who’s lost her father recently, another who may need to move house, loved ones who are traveling far tonight, and the family in Minneapolis who is suffering the greatest tragic loss—one that no one should ever face—the murder of their beloved child, nephew, grandson, father: Daunte Wright.

Gardening AND Uppercase magazine in the mail all o

Gardening AND Uppercase magazine in the mail all on the same day. It was almost too much. But not.
#uppercasemagazine

Things are creeping inexorably in the right direct

Things are creeping inexorably in the right direction.
#vermontspring #slowliving #chionodoxa #gloryofthesnow #ebvt #thelittlebrickvt #thelostgardenvt #vtiger #vermontbyvermonters #govermont

Soaked up a few weeks worth of sunshine to store i

Soaked up a few weeks worth of sunshine to store in the bank account until spring takes hold up in Vermont. Thanks for the warmth North Carolina.
#outerbanks #capelookoutnationalseashore

Having a little love affair with ivy. #iknowitsinv

Having a little love affair with ivy.
#iknowitsinvasivebutitsbeautiful

Foggy farm morning hello. #wwchorsecrew #winteresc

Foggy farm morning hello.
#wwchorsecrew #winterescape

While fall leaves changed colors, when the first s

While fall leaves changed colors, when the first snow fell, and while more snow fell, I’ve been painting a big blue sky and islands and waves. This 48x36” commission is twice as big as anything I’ve ever attempted. I got lots of good advice. I painted and repainted. I acquired bigger brushes. And I learned a lot in the process. Then I learned that we could barely fit it in our car to deliver it on Sunday to the dear people who set me on this journey of painting and process. What a relief to see their joy, and hear how the art evoked the coastal spot where this family has done net fishing for many many years. It filled their blank wall just as I’d hoped. My studio will feel empty without this big fella on the easel. Time to order another big panel and keep at it.
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#thevtcollective #vtartist #vtartistatwork #ilovermont #vermont #pleinairpainting #vtstudio #vermontstudio #artist #vermontartist #artistsofvermont #artistsofinstagram #igartists #vermontbyvermonters #ignewengland #vermontigers #govermont #gowoodstock #vermontermade #sueschlabach #sueschlabachart #thelittlebrickvtstudio #artistspace #artisthome #art #commission

It’s a day to think about love. But there are so

It’s a day to think about love. But there are so many kinds of love beyond romantic love: love for friends, siblings, neighbors, parents, children, animals, the natural world. Self. I hope you can love and be loved today! Reading #bellhooks #allaboutlove #valentinesday #notjustforlovers #sharelovereceivelove

Playing with palettes guided by the endearing @lau

Playing with palettes guided by the endearing @laurahornart today. She’s in Australian summer and I’m rebooting energy in my winter studio on a below zero morning. Thanks Laura!
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#creativeelementschallenge #vtartist #vtartistatwork #vtstudio #vermontstudio #artist #vermontartist #artistsofvermont #artistsofinstagram #igartists vermontermade #sueschlabach #sueschlabachart #thelittlebrickvtstudio #artistspace #artisthome #art

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