Art by Susan Sumner
Original paintings
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About Me

 

After a career as a school social worker, I returned to my first love – painting.
 
Painting outdoors is a true joy and it's exciting to try to capture the changing light and mood of the scene. 
 
I often paint in rural northwest New Jersey with the New Jersey En Plein Air painters or on trips to Europe or Maine with my painting pals. In the winter I turn to memory or imagination.
 
Painting people is perhaps my favorite and I look for personality and character rather than exact likeness - that's probably the social worker in me still expressing itself. Anyway, it may help to explain why my paintings do not look like what I'm looking at!

 

My oils and watercolors have won awards and are in collections throughout the United States.  I have taught watercolor at Warren County College in their adult classes.

 

painting of me by Carol Manochio

 

 

Education:

* MSW from Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland Ohio

*  Art Student’s League, NYC

* Centenary College – painting, life drawing

* New York Studio School – Drawing marathon

*  Workshops with Arne Westerman, Tim Gaydos, Janet Rogers, Jeanne Carbonetti

* Workshops with Charles Gruppe in Italy, Spain, France, Greece and Portugal

* Workshops with Danielle Hatherley's En Plein Air Painting School - Times Square, 79th Street Boat Basin and Central Park

 

 Galleries I have shown in:

* Arts off Main, Hackettstown, NJ

* Solaris Gallery, Califon, NJ
*  Le Reve, Chester, NJ

*   Connexions, Easton, PA

* Louisa Melrose, Frenchtown, NJ

              

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Painting in Sorento, Italy

Photo by Jinnie May

 

This is Marina Grande in Sorento. We had a glorious view of the harbor and were surounded by decaying boats, buildings that are several centurys old, and a great seafood restaurant for lunch - what could be better?

 

To add to the flavor, were the elderly people who had been born in in these houses who stopped by to offer encouraging words - at  least I think they were encouraging as I don't speak Italian.

 

I had a wonderful time although the canvas bag (borrowed from a friend) may never be the same.

 

 

 

 

 

   

 

Painting in Time Square

photo by Danielle Hatherley

 

Trying to capture the energy of Times Square was a real challenge and great fun. It was a hot summer day and the light at noon was very bright. Later the shadows from the buildings made painting much more comfortable. When I left it was almost dark but I was really too tired to paint another stroke. Can't wait to paint a night view of Times Square!

 

The crowds of tourists added to the excitement. Just as I was painting someone,  they got up and moved. Many stopped to chat and, of course, everyone was a critic!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thank you for your interest.

 

You can reach me at SusanKSumner@aol.com.