Artwork copyright Susan Bennerstrom. Photo courtesy of Washington State Arts Commission, 2017.

Artwork copyright Susan Bennerstrom. Photo courtesy of Washington State Arts Commission, 2017.

Grain Elevator Near a Ravine, 1989

Susan Bennerstrom
American (born 1949)

Location: Washington State Patrol - District IV, Ritzville detachment, Ritzville

ABOUT THE ARTWORK

Grain Elevator Near a Ravine is a pastel landscape drawing created by artist Susan Bennerstrom. She based the imagery on her experiences camping near Walla Walla, Washington. She notes, "I take numerous photographs and do pencil sketches, but don't touch the pastels until I return to the studio. I use the photographs not in order to produce literal copies, but to aid my memory and provide a basis from which I can invent and interpret. I am continually drawn to landscape because it is a theme which is accessible to everybody and has the potential for eliciting powerful emotional responses in the viewer."

This artwork was acquired for the State Art Collection in partnership with .

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Bellingham, Washington-based artist Susan Bennerstrom creates paintings that explore the "transformative power" of light. Rather than using figures to tell a story, she notes, "I prefer to let light and shadow imply the narrative and carry the emotional weight." Bennerstrom studied at Western Washington University in Bellingham, Northwestern Washington.