It was nearly ten years ago that I first laid eyes on Sue Yarbrough’s art - intricate mosaics, rich in color, pattern, and texture. This was no big city gallery of fine art where I stood captivated by her unforgettable compositions. It was the home of Sue’s daughter and son-in-law, Elly and Brett Barton where there were expressions of Sue’s creativity and talent gracing just about every room.
In addition to traditional mediums like acrylics, pens, and pastels, Sue Yarbrough also uses bits and pieces: things like newspaper, lace, leather… even cork, fabric, and aquarium gravel to create amazing portraits and landscapes on canvas. When I first encountered her art, I wanted everyone I knew to see it - every building adorned with something signed by “Sue Yarbrough.” I was a fast-fan, and when Granny’s House was invited to participate in Tigers on the Prowl, “Sue Yarbrough” was the very first name that popped into my mind.
My personal favorite is the king-sized headboard she created for Brett and Elly. It’s nearly eight feet wide and, from afar, this panoramic landscape looks like a forest in winter. On closer examination, I saw tree trunks and branches fashioned out of cork, hints of the last remaining leaves of winter formed by verses from the “Song of Solomon.” I just stood there staring, hardly able to take in all the beauty, whimsy, and depth of meaning splayed across this functional piece of art.
Though Sue Yarbrough is camera-shy, often self-effacing, and difficult to pin down for a quote or a photo, she was once commissioned by local businessman, Mike McClung, to create a four-panel mural of Las Vegas as seen from the Mandalay Bay Hotel, incorporating tiles she custom made just for this project. To help her envision exactly what he had in mind for this masterpiece, Mr. McClung flew her to Las Vegas so she could get a firsthand glimpse of the cityscape he wanted her to create for his Columbia residence. When the mural was finally completed, he was thrilled, paying thousands to own a Yarbrough original and the masterpiece was featured in Inside Columbia Magazine in October 2008.
These days, Sue’s passion is to create art that is both beautiful and meaningful - art that reflects the beauty of God. On “Bijou,” Sue once again used non-traditional mediums - “found objects” this time. The tiger is covered, from head-to-toe, with at least a million buttons, beads, and little-bitty toys. At the recent grand unveiling of all ten “Tigers On The Prowl” at Columbia Mall, onlookers “oooohed” and “aaaaaahed,” arrested by the beauty, and realism of the faces of Granny’s House kids that came into focus as they got closer to Bijou; amazed by the whimsy of the multi-colored stripes and the piercing beauty of her bright blue eyes. Like grownup kids, many passersby paused to concentrate, as if looking at a page from a grownup version of an “I Spy” book, delighting in the discovery of one hidden treasure after another. -Pamela Ingram
(Brad Noblitt Photos used by permission).
