Irene Sustar

Irene Sustar

Guest artist at 20) Sustar Woodworks

Based in Milwaukee, WI, Irene primarily works with acrylic and oil pastels, drawn to their flexibility and texture. For her, painting is a form of escapism—both in subject and process. Her work explores the in-between spaces of solitude and serenity, presence and longing—places that quiet the mind. Sunlit tennis courts, still vacation retreats, and the meeting of lines, shapes, and color become entry points into scenes that feel both familiar and distant, real yet just out of reach. Each painting aims to evoke the feeling of stepping into a peaceful memory, where everyday concerns dissolve into atmosphere and light.

Trained at the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design, Irene stepped away from painting for several years after graduation to pursue a career in product design. In returning to painting more recently, she has let go of rigid outcomes, allowing experimentation and intuition to guide her process.