Contemporary Artists | Period Artists (A-H) | Period Artists (H-Z)

Susan Lane

Sunflowers and Dahlias at Ryeworth Allotments, Charlton Kings Oil on canvas, 30 x 40 inches

Susan Lane was born in Surry, England in 1954.  During her early twenties, Susan concentrated her interest on drawing and developed her skills through drawing lessons and practice.  On meeting Charles Neal in 1975 she was introduced to the use of oil paints and was immediately entranced by the strength of color and depth and versatility of the oils.  She realized that this was the direction she wanted to take.

Susan married Charles Neal in 1976 and they moved to the Cotswolds in 1982. Their son Luke was born in 1989.  This is when Susan started taking advantage of the long summer holidays to travel and seek out challenging landscapes and experiences in France and Italy.  These would complement her intimate views of the Cotswolds and the surrounding counties.

Susan's early choice of subject matter was flowers, usually in their natural environment, or as a still life. Flowers give her the opportunity of using strong, vibrant color to produce soft, flexible and translucent effects of petals in the sunlight.  Working into the light, as did the Impressionists of the nineteenth century, Susan achieves some strong contrasts of light and shade. With the importance being placed on color and form and with deliberately raised brushstrokes, using pure, unmixed oils Susan follows the subjects occurring in nature.

Landscape was the natural progression, especially since living in such an inspiringly beautiful area  as the Cotswolds. Susan paints the local scenes that appeal to her en plein air. She feels that landscape painting provides limitless challenges and opportunities to portray feelings and create differing effects with clouds and light, from a frosty morning to a bright, autumn afternoon.  Susan is motivated by the variety of interpretations, and she endeavors to paint as true to nature as possible. Her breadth of subject matter covers all aspects of landscape, including animals (domestic and farm), gardens and parks.

Susan Lane has exhibited her work in the Cotswolds, in London and internationally for the past twenty years.  Wally Findlay Galleries is pleased to show her paintings along with those of her husband,  Charles Neal.