ABOUT THE ARTIST

Susan has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Aquinas College in conjunction with Kendal School of Design in Grand Rapids, Michigan. During art history studies she was fascinated by the Impressionist masters painting "en plein air"(French for in open air), especially Claude Monet and his masterful use of color to evoke a mood beyond reporting the scene.

She first became familiar with watercolor through interior design renderings but had long envisioned capturing her love of nature on canvas. Her design career ranged from residential and hotel design to office planning with only rare attempts at painting.

In 2007 she turned her focus to watercolor painting and soon ventured into "plein air" painting around Southern California. It was a perfiect fit with her background and the abundance of dynamic landscapes and plethora of historic buildings of character. She plans to continue her series of paintings of the California Missions as well as the deserts, mountains, oceans and the streets and places that are a slice of life in California.