Exhibition Run

Susan has lived in the Black Hills for over 30 years. During that time, she has grown to love the peaceful beauty of the forest and trees. 

 

Through plein air study, Susan creates impressions of forest scenes using watercolor.  As a former Geology major, she is drawn to natural mineral pigments , mostly iron oxides like umbers, ochres, and sienna, similar to what can be seen in the Geology of the Black Hills.  Often, the majority of her paintings are created with these pigments as they just seem to fit with Black Hills scenery.

 

Susan has a spontaneous painting style in order to quickly capture the essence and mood of a scene. This is important when painting outdoors because the light and atmosphere can change fast - completely altering a landscape. Even in studio work, Susan likes to keep the painting loose to retain the impulsive appearance of her art. She loves all the drips, splatters, and accidents inherent in the watercolor medium. 

 

One of Susan’s favorite places to be is in the forest painting and at times hiking quite a ways to find her subject. Listening to the woods come alive, absorbing the scents, sun and wind, then putting all those things into her art are part of her creative process.  She hopes her paintings transport you to a place of peace and beauty.