The Process

Susan has had close bonds with horses and other animals all of her life, and has a keen eye for every inch of their muscle, bone structure and hair growth. In her many years with horses, dogs and cats, she has sharpened her awareness of animals’ physical and emotional characteristics. She has become knowledgeable about their movement and their behavior patterns, which reflects in her interaction with her subjects as well as her finished art work.  Although Susan does work from her own photographs and notes, it requires more than just a copy of a photograph to achieve the precision, creativity, as well as sensitivity evident in her paintings. Susan works closely with clients and their animals creating the design, including shape, composition and setting. In addition to taking extensive photographs, she spends considerable time observing her subjects, discussing design ideas and doing sketches for clients before beginning the work. Because of the medium, detail and size of her work, and the comprehensive design process, each piece takes some time to complete. Therefore, Susan does a limited number of commissions each year which makes each painting or portrait rather exclusive. In keeping with her own sense of style and degree in studio art, she wants each piece to be as appropriate hanging in a museum or gallery as in a client’s home.
Prices and further details about commissioning Susan are available upon request.

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