Susanne has had the creative urge as long as she can remember – drawing, painting, and sewing her own clothes since childhood. She credits her mother, who also loved to paint, and Mrs. Lund, her high school art teacher, as her earliest influences. The first art workshop she attended was together with her late mother, a special memory.
She grew up locally, and recalls exploring the then vast open fields where adventures awaited and she and her friends could spend the day unsupervised, indulging their curiosity and imaginations. She remained in the area after marriage, raising her family in the countryside with beloved horses, cats, and dogs. She worked in public service until retirement a few years ago.
With renewed passion and the luxury of time, she is now returning to her creative pursuits, concentrating on the medium of watercolor. While she has also worked with oils, she appreciates the unique flow of watercolor and the limitless patterns and beautiful effects that can result.
Largely self-taught, she has also taken watercolor classes from several local instructors. She designed a studio in her home that is large enough to work alongside a long time friend, and they enjoy sharing the day in quiet, peaceful creation. She values the process of critiquing each other’s work as the day goes on and their pieces evolve.
Susanne is drawn to realistic renderings of both animals and people. Many of her works have been labors of love to honor cherished pets, past and present, of friends and family. She also finds gratification in capturing special moments of people’s lives – the simple joys of a grandchild’s smile, or the impish glint in the eye of a youngster at play.
In addition to painting, Susanne loves exploring the world – always packing a sketchbook to illustrate and preserve new discoveries. She savors art museums and says her favorite is the ARoS Aarhus Kunmuseum, one of the largest in Denmark, established in 1859, ten stories high, and topped by a circular walkway enclosed by glass walls of graduated colors, providing an ever changing and multihued panorama of the city below.
In another life, Susanne surely was a creature of the water. She loves all things aquatic – swimming, snorkeling, kayaking, and cruising. Her dream vacation is a trans-oceanic voyage with her days spent painting on deck.
