This month’s featured artist is abstract landscape painter Susan Williams. Susan’s art practice involves drawing the landscape and developing figurative and abstract images to reflect the extraction and quarrying processes that have impacted and altered the appearance of the North Wales landscape.
We spoke to Susan about her inspiration as an artist and how she found a love for landscape art.
Q: Which media do you work in?
A: I like to use oil and acrylic paint, mono type printing, and mixed media images on rag paper with canvas supports.
Q: Describe your style of art.
A: I would describe my style as semi abstract, creating abstract images of the landscape and natural form.
Q:When did you begin your career in art?
A: I started painting as a child, winning School art prizes and then studying a Foundation Diploma, BA hons and MA in Art Practice.
Q: Who or what inspires your art?
A: I am inspired by individuals in my work; Gerhard Richter, John Virtue and the Scottish Colourists.
Q: What is one of your favourite pieces that you have done and why?
A: I like my pieces Emergence and Convergence which are two installations that represent the effect of the mineral extraction industry, on the North Wales Landscape.
Q: What are you working on at the moment?
A: At the moment I’m working on six large canvases which explore the nature of light and reflection on lakes rivers and the coast line.
Q: What would your advice for an emerging artist be?
A: I believe that an artist’s life and work is a marathon, not a sprint. There are many rejections and disappointments along the way, usually because the opportunity isn’t right for that particular image. The important thing is to keep going and find the right audience. The reward is more than worth it.
Q: What’s your most unusual artistic habit/strangest technique which you have learnt?
A: I’m somewhat ambidextrous; I draw with my left hand and paint with the right!