RECENT:
The art works of Myō Ōn are integrated with zen meditation practice and teaching. Art making continues to be a vivid, fully integrated, and vigorous practice. These highly spontaneous, playful works are often made as a direct expression of Zen Koans, Haiku and other poems or prose with elements deeply connected to and expressive of the natural world.
She was ordained as a Zen Buddhist Priest in 2009 by Rinzai Zen Master Joshu Sasaki Roshi, and continues to train now with Shodo Harada Roshi and the One Drop Community. As a monk her work is one of service as a full time practitioner and Myō Ōn has been recognized by Shodo Harada Roshi as a teacher. Since 2013 Myō Ōn has taught zen meditation in the County Jail system and in local zen centers while continueing her art practice. During the previous 7 years she traveled to practice with Shodo Harada Roshi's One Drop Zen community in at Sogen-ji in Japan and Tahoma Monastery on Whidbey Island, Washington and received additional Soto Zen Priest training. In the Fall of 2022 Myō Ōn Zenni was invited by
Dr. Monica Lucero to found a Zen practice community at Red Root Acupuncture and Herbs Clinic in their Community Center in Albuquerque. The Zen at Red Root is now a fully established and vigorously growing sangha.
PAST:
Born and raised outside a very small town in rural California, Susan Myō Ōn Linnell was educated at the University of California, Berkeley. She has lived, raised her family, and worked in New Mexico since 1973 where she exhibited mixed-media paintings,collage and drawings. These large, physical gestural paintings, drawings, and prints were represented by the Linda Durham Gallery. The artist works are included in many private and museum collections. After completing work on 2 complex public art mosaic projects working with many children and community representatives, the artist entered a period of seclusion for the purposes of travel, retreat, and to deepen her Zen training and study.
SELECTED COLLECTIONS:
World Bank: Washington, D.C.
The Philip Morris Corporation: New York, New York.
Tamarind Institute: Albuquerque, New Mexico.
U. S. Department of State: Washington, D.C.
University of New Mexico Permanent Collection: Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Museum of Fine Arts: Santa Fe, New Mexico.
University of New Mexico's Cancer Research Institute: Albuquerque, New Mexico.
University of New Mexico Art Museum: Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Museum of Albuquerque: Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Roswell Museum and Art Center: Roswell, New Mexico.
HONORS AND PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES:
Guest Artist (2)- Tamarind Institute of Lithography. Guest Artist & lecturer - University of Arkansas, Little Rock, Arkansas. Guest artist - University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Award - Recipient of $10,000 Endowment Grant. Award - Conservation Association Award of Merit for Public Art - Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Juror - Arizona Commission for the Arts National Endowment for the Arts Awards -Phoenix, Az. Juror - State of New Mexico Arts Division; Public Art Commission. Juror for the Albuquerque Cultural Awards for Excellence.
Artist Consultant for master planning State of New Mexico Project: Design Team / Sites Southwest Landscape Architects. Artist Representative on two Boards of Directors - one community based organization and one non-profit organization.
PUBLICATIONS: Art in America Artspace Magazine Art News Magazine Artists Design Furniture
EDUCATION: B.A. Art, University of California: Berkeley, California.
PUBLIC ART COMMISSIONS:
"Migration": City of Albuquerque Pubic Arts Program - Projects Master Plan including Three Mosaics. The artist worked with landscape architects and groups of neighborhood school children (95) on a six block long project in central Albuquerque. The project took 5 years to complete.
"River of Life": City of Albuquerque Public Arts Program - Projects Master Plan including a natural stone mosaic 365' long near the Petroglyph National Monument on the west side of Albuquerque, New Mexico. The 3 year long project involved collaboration and coordination with 10 schools and over 260 children and adults. The children participating were from 5 New Mexico Pueblo (Native American Tribes') Schools and 5 Albuquerque Public Schools in a cross cultural exchange.
State of New Mexico Public Art Commission: State of New Mexico Design Team Consultant - Collaboration with 3 other artists and landscape architects on the master plan for art and environmental patterning and design for highway elements including bridges, underpasses and over-passes.
SELECTED EXHIBITIONS:
Peters Projects Gallery "Invitational Book Arts Exhibit"; Santa Fe, New Mexico
Chicago International Art Exposition; Chicago, Illinois.
Tamarind Institute Guest Artist Exhibition; Tamarind Institute of Lithography, Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Museum of Fine Arts Invitational; Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Albuquerque Museum; "The Elusive Surface; Painting in Three Dimensions", Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Linda Durham Gallery; Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Robischon Gallery; Denver, Colorado.
University of Arkansas; Little Rock, Arkansas.
New Mexico Women's Foundation Annual Group Exhibit; University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico.
University of New Mexico Faculty Exhibit; Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Roswell Museum Invitational; Roswell, New Mexico.
"In the Space of Ten Years " Art Space Magazine; The University of New Mexico Art Museum; Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Los Angeles International Art Exposition; Los Angeles, California.
PAINT: The paintings are mixed media, acrylic, oil, gold and metal leaf, and natural pigments on linen or cotton canvas. Some are mounted and hung as contemporary scrolls. The scroll style mounting is chosen to emhasize the three dimensional aspect of appearance of the canvas as a concrete object; and the painted image or marks then manifest more clearly as the illusion of reality.
INK: These works are sumie ink on xuan paper often mounted as a traditional scroll on linen fabric. Some have additonal marks in gold leaf, or natural pigment and clays. Some watercolor or other media may be applied even after the mounting.