Susan Bagrationoff The Biography of Susan M Bagrationoff Susan M. Bagrationoff is a professional artist whose body of work focuses on mythology and mysterious creatures. She works with multiple layers of acrylic paint in brilliant, sometimes metallic colors. Much of her subject matter has been inspired by the beauty of nature. Susan graduated with her bachelor’s in fine arts in 2002 from Florida International University in Miami, Florida with her major in painting and two minors: one in art history and one in education. It was from her experience in college that fueled her desire to open ul her own teaching studio. Susan's current body work, her Faeriefolk Portrait paintings, adorns the walls of her teaching studio in Kent, WA. When not teaching classes in traditional art at Artsy Fartsy Art Lessons, Susan can often be found working on a new creation. Serving as an active member in her community, she has designed murals to help beautify the city of Kent, most notably the “Hands of Unity\" mural on the Around the Clock building on Meeker Street. She also assisted the creation of the mural that hangs in the Kent Youth and Family Services building. Recently Susan painted a temporary mural for Kent Lutheran Church during the pandemic to salvage a historic stained-glass piece. Susan is currently an active member of the Kent Arts Commission and was recently juried in as a new member of Artrails, which is a member only art show that will take place in late September 2021 in Centrelia, Washington. As briefly mentioned above, Susan is also the owner and art educator of Artsy Fartsy Art Lessons. Teaching art has been Susan's dream since she was about 7 years of age but multiple events in art college inspired her to chase that goal. Upon moving to Kent, WA, Susan's long-time dream of opening up an art education studio became a reality. At the studio, Susan educates kids and adults alike in the areas of drawing, painting, and sewing. She prefers to teach various styles of art along with basics in a relaxed atmosphere. Susan also supports local artists by displaying their artwork within the studio. During special events in Downtown Kent such as Art Walks or street festivals, Susan can often be found dancing with her poi in front of her studio. Every once in a while, at these events, Susan will do some fire dancing in the alleyway behind the studio, those who witness her fire dancing can truly feel the passion that goes into all of Susan's endeavors Faeriefolk Portraits – An Artist's Statement In a world of so much chaos, a brief trip into the realm of faeries brings beauty, peace and magick into our dimension. I find our world to be a magickal and mysterious place. We only can see the things that we acknowledge exist. Faeries have always fascinated me and I believe they thrive within our realm. What do they look like? Do they blend into our society and appear like we do? Like us, they have many faces, many cultures and various varieties. I utilize my artistic talents to summon these creatures so that everyone can experience their beauty and magick. I paint portraits of these mysterious beings to inspire others to believe in what they cannot see. I feel that this leads my audience to hope, dream and be inspired to be more than what we seem. Most of my work is conjured by using acrylic paints with multiple washes and the occasional application of other mediums. Brilliant colors are used to enable the faeries to give off the feeling of their energy or `vibe`, allowing the viewer to discover the power of these beings. The texture of their skin, hair and wings are vital to conveying the elemental qualities of each fae. I am constantly discovering new ways to bring my faeries to life and often research faerie folklore from various cultures to inspire my works. Faeries and other mythical creatures have always held my curiosity since I was a little girl. Now I have the opportunity to use my artistic talents to make these beings look upon our world.