Temecula and surrounding area have lost a true art loving soul this past week by the name of Sue Blanche. Sue was my friend and a tireless volunteer at Temecula’s Grace Mellman Library, in charge of the monthly rotating art exhibit at the Rotunda Gallery. Sue was a loyal friend of the arts and a huge proponent of artists who challenged the status quo through their often marginalized, edgy, risk-taking art. What a sad day for our community.

Sue encouraged me to exhibit my Oracle Deck Zodiac Goddesses twice and my Faerieality series just last month. Afterwards we attended the First Friday Art Walk at Temecula’s only gallery, The Merc where we met almost every single artist exhibiting outdoors at the monthly Art Nights. It was a splendid evening and I’m so happy that this was my last memory of Sue; out in the community amongst the artists helping them connect with other artists and patrons and providing them with hope and a chance to shine! Sue shared her desire to find interesting artists to exhibit at the library and I shared my Facebook Group for local creatives: The Temecula Artist’s Circle.

Sue championed artists who no one else would take a chance on here especially if their work didn’t fit the realistic, representative artistic mold that is popular in this conservative, Christian fundamentalist town where showing even classically rendered nudes is a no-no.

Sue is a rare and beautiful soul and she will be greatly missed. Please feel free to share your memories of Sue below in the Comments Section. If there is to be a service for Sue I’ll share it here once I have the details.