Meet SueAnn Walentuk | Visual Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with SueAnn Walentuk and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi SueAnn, what role has risk played in your life or career?
When I think about what it means to take a risk, on the face of it, it seems like something one shouldn’t do – it’s something scary or possibly harmful to oneself. And there are capital “R” Risks and small “r” risks. In my life, having taken many actions that might have seemed “risky” in the small “r” way with a couple of exceptions that were capital “R” risks, I have seen that my risk-taking led to opportunities that I wouldn’t have had otherwise. Taking the risk meant that I had to rely on myself to get through the scariness while staying focused on my goals.
In my case, the small “r” risks involved moving to foreign countries where I didn’t speak the language and knew no one in order to take a job. And I did that alone the first time – staying 15 years outside of my home country far away from my family. Risk-taking played an important role in the development of my career, my professional reputation, and opened my mind in ways I couldn’t have imagined.
The capital “R” risks I took were, in hindsight, bad decisions made in a moment of pressure. Luckily I came out of those unscathed and unhurt, but looking back, I feel incredibly lucky nothing bad happened to me!
And so, in general, I recommend taking risks. They push you to perform and be your best self; they provide opportunities for self-growth and wisdom. Without having taken risks, I wouldn’t have had the amazing experiences I had professionally and personally in my life.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I am primarily an oil painter, although I also have enjoyed creating sculptures, glass art, and ceramic artworks. My subject matter contains glimpses of nature or architectural details. I enjoy the effects of light and color and the experience of putting those elements down with paint on canvas or panel. One could call me a formalist, meaning that my work is purely about visual aspects without containing much in the way of a narrative. I owe a great deal of my development as an artist to my education at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, MA. Also being an art teacher gave me the advantage of practicing many techniques and working with several different media in order to better my teaching. I learned a great deal from analyzing artworks from different cultures and time periods. Making art is not hard nor is it easy. It doesn’t benefit from that breakdown. Making art is a commitment to your work, to your ideas, to your learning. One of the best bits of advice I gained while in art school was that if I just went into my studio every day, even when I didn’t have any ideas, I would benefit from being in that creative space, moving things around, clearing things, and pretty soon I would be working. I have found that to be very true, and I thank my professor of glass art for that advice! It would be a great success for me if my work caused people to pause, to see something familiar for the first time so to speak when they look at my work. If I can make someone relax by looking at my paintings about nature or architectural details, I will be pleased.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I would take them to see the Art Deco historic district, the Miami Botanical Garden, the North Beach Band Shell, the Faena District is fun for people-watching. All of the art galleries and museums are great. The food!!!! This is too big a question but I’ll try a few: Makoto Japanese Restaurant, The Surf Club Restaurant, Cecconis, Sexy Fish Miami is fun for something really different, the bar at the Dirty French Steakhouse is something to see and have a fantastic cocktail.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I’m lucky that my mother and I were great friends, and from the time I was a little girl she instilled in me that I could do and be anything I wanted. Her support and mentorship were integral to how I approached my life.

I also had the good fortune to work with a variety of women who were helpful in my career goals, who encouraged me to go after things that I wasn’t aware of that would help me advance my career. They weren’t competitive; they were supportive, helpful, and encouraging. There are too many to mention by name, and I am thankful to each one.

Website: https://www.sueannwalentuk.com

Other: I also run a small short-term stay business called The Artist’s Loft in Delray Beach. My website is: https://www.artistsloftdelray.com

Image Credits
Photography by SueAnn Walentuk