Suzanne Frie, currently based in Hawaii, is a primarily self-taught American artist that signs all work by her middle "old family" name of Rittenhouse. The artist is well versed in various mediums like water color, oil, and acrylic, but has refined her skill in the use of tissue paper to create a body of work that mimics such artists as John Singer Sargent, Claude Monet, John White Alexander and other impressionists.

The artist's practice is to avoid using paper that is cut but, rather, to rip the paper to achieve the impressionistic look as the rips mimic brush strokes. Works include landscapes, seascapes, and girls in white dresses with Chinese umbrellas. The artist continues to be enchanted with scenes and subjects of an era gone by and themes similar to the artists of the late 1800's.

In a time where schools’ available funds are being cut, thus eliminating orrestricting education in the fine arts, Suzanne donates her time at the local elementary school teaching afternoon art lessons to ,primarily, military children 2-6th grade in various mediums including painting, sculpture and artworks that use recyclable materials. Suzanne is passionate about charity and donating works of art to local and national organizations that promote conversation of the environment, local causes and the enrichment of education for youth.

Rittenhouse’s work is derived from a refined technique she learned when working for an artist while attending college, where ripping and layering various shades of tissue paper create images that look similar in nature to an impressionistic painting. Her signature series of girls in white dresses with Chinese paper parasols, is primarily inspired by her daughters Payton and Emma.

Sizes vary for each piece.

Chevron Paper Painting: Rittenhouse's picture of a woman covered with a semi-transparent chevron patterned blanket is partially cropped to emphasize the trunk region of the body, with an erotic focus of the breasts and pubic region. The hip bone is carved out with a strong contour line of dark blue and it trusting in an upward motion, reminiscent of the bold contour lines of Klimt and Schiele. Though not strong in the photograph, the red pubic hair rises above the chevron pattern in the image, in a tempting manner that leads to the fleshy inner thigh of the spread legs. The milky creaminess of the woman's skin is partially viewed through the blanket near the lower stomach and upper hip region giving a sense of movement as if the woman were turning in her sleep under a sheer blanket.

The Paper Painter uses bold contour lines of the female form to serve as a mechanism of exploration between chevron-patterned fabric and its relationship to the nude body. How the fabric and fold, drape and respond to the body in different positions. The entire image, including the chevron patterns are carefully constructed out of layered tissue paper.

All paintings are 14 ½" x 19"/ea

The Collection is comprised of tissue paper paintings that feature young children and babies with white faces surrounded by brightly colored patterns of various fabrics. These paintings depict young infants and toddlers that stare out toward the audience among vibrant stripes, chevrons and plaids, giving live to the painting despite the complexion of the child.

All paintings are 30" x 47 ½"/ea

Rittenhouse focuses on pure form and color in this series of nudes under the series title of Intimates. Rittenhouse submerges the viewers in mysteriously black depths to then reveal various shades of blues, reds and yellows with detailed exploration of the female form almost to the point of abstraction, similar in nature to the abstracted views of flowers that O'Keefe once rendered.

All paintings are 20" x 20"/ea

Suzanne Frie enjoys the challenge of commission requests to create one-of-a-kind original pieces of fine art contingent on the scope of the project and time availability. A commission is based on the subject, size, detail and medium and will not be accepted until a price is established and contract initiated. Please contact the artist if interested in a personal original fine art piece.