BY SUZY STUMP for WEEKLY VOLCANO 10/3/25 |
In the 2025 Newspaper Box Challenge, dozens of local artists transformed once-forgotten newspaper dispensers into vibrant public artworks soon to be placed across Tacoma and Pierce County. Among them was Susannah Youngquist, who walked away with a 4th place finish. Her box, painted with a moonlit mountain landscape, carried the hallmarks of her style—trees, waterfalls, and a sky alive with brilliant colors.
Living in Pierce County has had a clear impact on her development. “I have loved getting to meet other artists in the area and learning from their techniques, or just appreciating their style of work,” she explains. “It reminds me how awesome it is to be in such a creative place. The art that continues to pop up around the area is inspiring. The culture and community is definitely influential.”
Her creative process, as she describes it, is anything but straightforward but all too relatable to most artists. “Brutal,” is how she describes it. She often starts with one idea and ends up with something entirely different. “I’ll start out confident with some fun idea, then wonder why this looks like a small child could have done better,” she says. “After reminding myself it takes a lot of layers to make it look the way I want, I will work on it some more and think it looks pretty good. I will then proceed to ruin it and go through the whole cycle again.” The process doesn’t end until she arrives at what feels like resolution. “Details, details, details, and Bob Ross reminding me, ‘this is your world!’”
“I have painted heartbreak and depression works for myself,” she notes. Bright moods, in contrast, show up in “bright and unusual color combinations.” When she paints the cosmos, it’s less about subject matter and more about practice. “Painting cosmos are almost a form of meditation or neurographic art.”
Sometimes unpredictability produces her favorite pieces. She recalls buying two oversized canvases on a steep discount. One grew into what she calls “the beast,” still unfinished, combining all her favorite elements—“a cosmic sky landscape with a giant cliff and all of my favorite things—foliage, waterfalls, and trees.” The second canvas was a gift, painted hurriedly for her brother and sister-in-law at Christmas. Working with watered-down paint and little time, she discovered unexpected textures and color layers. “I ended up getting some really cool colors and layers into it,” she says.
She credits many influences but refuses to attempt a full list. “Every time I try to answer this question I come up with a list that is far too long to share,” she admits. Pressed to name one, she chooses PBS’s famous art teacher circa 1983–1994: Bob Ross. “He told me I could do it. His landscapes remind me of my childhood, and he was a great teacher.”
What she wants viewers to feel depends on the piece. Landscapes might invite peace or adventure. Darker works, built out of deeper emotions, may land differently. “I hope they feel a sense of empathy and that they might not feel so alone,” she says. In most cases, she hopes people notice details that deepen over time. “Maybe they see something in it that resonates with them. I hope they notice a new detail each time they see it that fuels a sense of mystery.”
Her life in art extends past her own work. Together with her partner, she has run Youwen Productions, an arts-centered nonprofit responsible for bringing Art Battle® Seattle to the region. Those staged competitions have built a community around performance painting. For now, though, Art Battle® is on pause while she devotes herself to teaching and marketing at an alternative high school.
Teaching has cut into her studio time, but she looks for ways to bring creativity into the classroom. For Youngquist, the work may meander and frustrate along the way, but eventually it reaches a place where she can let it go—out into the world, where others decide what it means.
