The Bright Colors of Suzi Vitulli's Art

Carolyn Henderson: Talk about Art

There is a tendency within a culture saturated with pop art imagery to go for shock value – the gritty – to extol a painting because it is edgy, disturbing, and unsettling. Such has been the "norm" for so long that people associate fine art with depression and anxiety.

But if art is anything, it's versatile, and many talented painters opt to use their skills to promote the other side of the spectrum: happiness, hope, joy, and beauty. This aptly describes the watercolor paintings of Richland artist Suzi Vitulli, who unabashedly loves bright colors because, she says, they make her, and her viewers, feel happy.

"I strive to create something beautiful and inviting," Vitulli says of her work. "I hope to entice the viewer to come in and take a closer look."

Vitulli, who in addition to creating art teaches it at Richland Parks and Recreation, Kennewick Community Education, and workshops in the Walla Walla area, is showing a selection of her bright, happy paintings in a month-long art event at Wenaha Gallery in Dayton.

The gallery, 219 East Main Street, is open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Saturday. Find out more about Vitulli's free Art Event by dropping in, calling (509) 382-2124, or emailing art@wenaha.com.