‘Until a few years ago I used to live in a large vicarage in Tysoe, Warwickshire, just south of Stratford-upon-Avon, where my husband was vicar. We had an idyllic Cotswold rural life, with cricket matches, fetes at The Manor, village flower shows and open gardens for visitors. It always seemed to be an English summer day, and I would take a break from my professional portrait commissions to capture the scene on canvas. It always amused friends in the village to appear in my paintings, and not to be left out I sometimes painted myself in the corner, too.
When we downsized to Hereford, we designed a studio for me, and a framing workshop for my husband Martin. While I needed a double-height space to accommodate my huge easel, with a mezzanine for storage, Martin drew the short straw, and he struggles heroically making me large frames in the small workshop space – though he’s solved the problem now by working from inside the frame!
I am always out and about painting, whether it is Cotswold landscapes, seascapes in Cornwall or on the Yorkshire Moors, and I’ve travelled the world with my paintbrush in hand as artist in residence on cruise liners, and found myself painting in places as far apart as Machu Picchu and The Great Wall of China.
There have been so many adventures sailing round the world, and funny incidents along the way, as well as amusing anecdotes of life on board, that I’ve decided to write some articles, with plenty of illustrations called A Colourful Life. There are a few stories on my website already.
I will be teaming up with Hereford Cathedral and h.Art with this show of landscapes and glorious gardens for sale, in a joyous exhibition celebrating light, colour and creativity. It will be the first time the Cathedral has taken part in h.Art Week, and the new Dean Sarah Brown and her team are delighted to have the opportunity to welcome everybody in the community to visit and get involved in the creative activities which we will be putting on as part of the show.’
h.Art Week is on from Saturday, September 2 until Sunday, September 10, and Susan’s exhibition, ‘Art and Soul’ continues in the Cathedral until September 27. h-art.org.uk
To find out more about Susan’s work and to enquire about commissions, visit susanedwardspaintings.com
