The College of the Canyons Art Gallery will exhibit the work of LA-based abstract painter and educator Sue Tuemmler from October 12 to November 7.

For Tuemmler, painting and teaching are intertwined. A retired Los Angeles Unified School District teacher, Tuemmler taught art in Lincoln Heights for many years and was a traveling art teacher in South and East Los Angeles.

“For me, teaching has a strong performance element, and the speed, spontaneity and improvisational nature of much of what I did in the classroom has informed my approach to the painting process,” said Tuemmler. “In these abstract paintings I build an arrhythmic structure of unexpected movement, surprising juxtapositions and channels that navigate the seen and the hidden. I join bold with mysterious, frenetic with calm, chaos with order, all while looking for the balance point that says, ‘alive.’”

In 1980, Tuemmler earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from the Rhode Island School of Design, where she focused on painting with brush, ink and watercolor. Tuemmler began working with oils and acrylics after taking a course at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, which she considers influential to her work.

“When speaking with Sue you realize that her experience as a teacher has deeply influenced her painting style,” said Larry Hurst, COC Art Gallery director. “You will notice a textured mark making and a combination of the organic and the formal. These paintings seem to relate to artists such as Robert Motherwell and Richard Diebenkorn and yet they remain fresh and contemporary. Viewers to this exhibition will encounter vibrant, complex and intriguing images that seem to refuse to sit still.”

An artist reception will take place in the Art Gallery from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, October 12. Tuemmler will also visit the gallery for a special conversation with the artist, from 2 to 3:00 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 17.

The College of the Canyons Art Gallery is open 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Thursday. Those unable to visit the gallery during normal hours are welcome to contact the gallery to schedule a viewing appointment.

All gallery exhibitions and related events are free and open to the public.

For more information about this exhibit or the COC Art Gallery, visit www.canyons.edu/ArtGallery.