Artists
- About Susan Skuse
- Available original works
- Available limited edition giclee prints
- Sold work
Susan Skuse

About the Artist and her work:
As an artist living and working in the Gold Coast Hinterland I draw inspiration from the sub-tropical rainforests of the area and the wonderful wildlife surrounding us. I first trained as an artist in the 1980’s and have more recently completed degrees in Fine Arts and Philosophy. My current series of work brings together a diverse range of influences including Asian philosophy and traditional art, textile pattern, bird-watching and the phenomenology of perception. I work with layers of colour and pattern combined with realistic depictions of Australian birds.
The work goes through a number of processes. Firstly, I create abstract colour background, usually using vibrant lithographic inks diluted with solvent to create fluid organic effects. Then I work with my ever growing library of custom made stencils – sometimes plant forms, sometimes abstract or classical patterns. I use the stencils and masks to build up a many-layered background of semi-transparent patterns and forms. When I am happy with the background I then sit back and consider what bird subject it suggests to me. I rarely know at the beginning what the final painting will look like. There is a lot of chance in my work, and I enjoy that.
I like to work with high quality materials that will result in long-lasting artworks. I usually paint on flat cotton canvas so that when the work is stretched onto a timber stretcher the patterns seamlessly flow around the edge. This makes framing optional. I only use the finest quality professional artists’ oil paints that are vibrant and fade resistant.
Selected works are available as giclee prints on canvas. We produce our prints “in house” with a state-of-the-art Canon 4000 Colorpro printer and I extensively hand-embellish each print with oil paint to give it a real “original” look.
Artist’s CV – Susan Skuse
Education:
Bachelor of Arts (Fine Arts) Curtin University WA
Bachelor of Arts (Philosophy) Macquarie University, NSW.
Certificate of Garment Design – Gold Coast TAFE
Diploma of Fine Art – Alice Springs Community College
Advertising Certificate – Sydney Technical College, Ultimo
My works are a joyful combination of all the elements I love best – colour, pattern and layering, contrasting with the realistic painting of Australian birds.
The approach is driven by process and philosophy. I am always looking to develop a feeling of connectedness with nature . I try to create the sensation of being inside an environment surrounded by receding semi-transparent layers of half-glimpsed shapes and patterns. My bird subjects, painted in oils in a realistic style, are intended to ‘pop out’ of these backgrounds, a contrasting counter-balance to their environments.
Awards and Exhibitions:
2020 Group Show – Triple Vision 2020 (3 artists)
2020 Group Show – The Winners – Sponsored by Art Lovers Australia
2019 Highly Commended – Landscape section – D’Arcy Doyle Art Award
2019 Group Show – Triple Vision 2019 (3 artists)
2019 Finalist Rotary Art Spectacular, Brisbane
2018 Feature Artist June, Montville Art Gallery
2018 Finalist Stanthorpe Art Award
2018 Winner Art Lovers Australia Art Prize
2018 Finalist Rotary Art Spectacular, Brisbane
2017 Finalist Rotary Art Spectacular, Brisbane
2016 Finalist, Queensland Figurative Art Award
2016 Finalist Holmes Australian Birdlife Art Award – Highly Commended
2016 Finalist Lethbridge 10,000
2015 Finalist and Runner-up in the inaugural Holmes Australian Birdlife Art Award
2015 Finalist Brisbane Life Art Award
2015 Finalist Lethbridge 10,000
2015 Finalist Rotary Art Spectacular
2015 Finalist Moreton Bay Art Award
Hi Hillier & Skuse, would you be interested in exhibiting and selling your paintings in an exhibition we are curating in November in Brisbane? Please send me your email contact and I will send you the information on the entry process.
Kind regards
Marcel Desbiens and Sven Roehrs, Curators
fobfta2018@gmail.com
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Hi Marcel. Thanks for your contact. Steve and I know and admire your work and we would be interested in taking part in an exhibition curated by you. You can email us on contact@hillierskusegallery.com. We look forward to hearing all about it. Cheers. Susan Skuse
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