Suhaila Ihsanullah at White Bear Center for the Art’s Midsummer Art Fest. Photo: Cynthia Maya
With an easel planted firmly in meadow grass or lakeshore sand, local plein air painter Suhaila Ihsanullah captures quintessential Minnesota scenes as they unfold.
Painting outdoors is an exercise in staying sharp. “It’s improvisational,” she says. “People walk in and out, and the weather and light can change the entire scene within minutes.” Still, Ihsanullah is always in control, choosing what to include—and what to leave out—from the scene.
Her paintings focus on places and the people who inhabit those spaces. Working in vibrant color, you can often find her along the waterfront at White Bear Lake. “It’s been a favorite local landscape for years,” she says. “One morning, I started painting sailboats on the horizon when a group of friendly dog walkers wandered down to play in the water. It became one of my most spontaneous paintings.”
Cynthia Maya is the marketing manager at White Bear Center for the Arts. Learn more at whitebeararts.org.
