Marblehead Holiday Pops Artist Reception

Marblehead, Mass. — Susan j Schrader will unveil the logo art she created for the Rotary Club of Marblehead Harbor’s Holiday Pops Concert at a reception in her honor on Wednesday, Nov. 9, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., at Abbot Library, 235 Pleasant Street.

The reception is free and open to the public. Guests are invited to gather in the library’s main floor fireplaced Reading Room for the unveiling at 5:45 p.m. and then to proceed to the Virginia A. Carten Gallery for an exhibit of 36 of Schrader’s paintings and drawings. The exhibit is titled “tell me something” and will be on view through the month of November.

Light refreshments and beverages will be served in the Gallery after the unveiling.

Schrader’s Holiday Pops painting entitled “Marblehead Nights” portrays a fanciful celebration in the starry skies over Marblehead.

Her whimsical art is mostly of abstracted, quirky people that float and dance on the surface of the canvas — rich in color, full of creative patterns and bizarre movements. “My work is about life, about giving oneself up to what life has to offer: happiness, love, friendship, wonderment, grasping/releasing,” explains Schrader.

Her approach is to “plunge into the moment and react to the first figure that finds his/her way onto the surface of the canvas,” she says. “These creatures live amongst themselves in a moment in time inviting us to ponder how we feel when we are faced with a moment in our own lives that brings us connection to someone or something. The art builds towards a single snapshot of our world.”

Schrader draws first with India ink on the blank canvas and then she adds color. “I’m in love with bright, vibrant colors and loads of detail — dots upon dots!” she says.

In addition to her drawings and paintings, Schrader is also illustrating a local children’s book that will be published in the near future.

Schrader earned a BFA at The Queen’s University in Canada and an MFA at Illinois State University studying drawing, printmaking, painting and art history. She notes that several extensive family trips to India, South Africa, Australia, Hawaii, and Florence have fueled her creative fire. Schrader lives in Marblehead with her husband, two boys and dog.

Raffle tickets for a chance to win the original art framed by Arnould Gallery and Framery plus notecards, tote bags and giclees featuring Schrader’s 2016 Holiday Pops art will be available for sale during the reception. Cash and checks will be accepted.

For more information about Schrader and her art, visit her website at http://susanjschrader.com. For more information about the Artist Reception on Nov. 9, contact Linda Doliber at 781-631-6938.

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