Susan Fox American Artist

Although I’ll paint any subject that captures my fancy, my favorite subject is the natural world, especially animals. I work in a traditional oil technique, always striving for a personal, painterly expression. Fieldwork to see my subjects in their own habitat is extremely important. My travels to accomplish this have included trips to Mongolia, Kenya, Canada and Yellowstone, Grand Tetons and Glacier National Parks. I take many photos and sketch on location as much as possible. Drawing, for me, is a fundamental part of painting and, fortunately, I love to draw.

I have found that when you take the time to sit and watch animals, as opposed to just mentally checking off seeing them, they inevitably reveal insights into their lives which are totally separate from any relationship, or perceived value, to humans. The chance to record those moments on canvas is one of the things that get my creative juices flowing. Animals are all individuals just as we are, with their own habits and quirks. It is this individuality of our fellow sentient beings that I always aspire to communicate in my work along with the beauty and intrinsic value of the places where they live.

The planet Earth belongs to all of us together- humans, animals and plants. If there are no good places for them, then ultimately there will be no good places for us either. We are just barely beginning to comprehend how interconnected and mutually dependent our world is. Perhaps one thing my paintings can do is demonstrate how much there is to lose in a world where human pressure is causing more extinctions and habitat destruction than at any time since the age of the dinosaurs. The natural world has an absolute intrinsic value separate from any impermanent human ones. Communicating that value is one of my goals as an artist. One of my fondest hopes for the future of our species is that we will finally grow up and learn to share.

Location watercolor painting at Hustai National Park, September 2012

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS

Society of Animal Artists (Signature Member, Board of Directors)
Oil Painters of America
California Art Club

EDUCATION

Academy of Art College, BFA Illustration, 1989
Oxford University Christchurch, Summer Session, 1989
The Illustration Academy , 1990, 1991
John Seerey-Lester Master Class, 1997
Beartooth School of Art
John Seerey-Lester, Paco Young, 1999
Paco Young, 2001
John Banovich, 2002
Jackson Hole Art Academy
Jim Wilcox, 2003
Scott Christensen Ten Day Plein Air Intensive, 2004
Simon Combes’ Artist Safari, Kenya, 2004

SPECIAL HONORS

Artists for Conservation 9th Flag Expedition Grant, 2009- to study Mongolian argali mountain sheep and assist in the creation of a women’s felt crafts cooperative at IkhNartiinChuluu Nature Reserve

SELECTED SHOWS/COMPETITIONS/AWARDS

“Art and the Animal”- Society of Animal Artists, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012
“Fall Juried Open Exhibition”- American Academy of Equine Art, 2009, 2011, 2012
“Art and the Animal Kingdom XVI”- Bennington Center for the Arts, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2011
“Salon International”- Greenhouse Gallery of Fine Art, 2011
“The Horse in Fine Art: A Salute to the World Equestrian Games 2010″ – American Academy of Equine Art, 2010
“51st Annual Spring Juried Exhibition” – Redwood Art Association, 2009, Janie Walsh Memorial Award, “Heavy Lies the Head”
“16th Annual Juried Art Competition Show and Sale” – Breckenridge Fine Arts Center, 2008
“Spirit of the Horse” – Palos Verdes Art Center, 2008, Third Place Award
AFC Conservation Artist of the Month for March 2008
“Wild Things” – California Art Club, 2007, Juror’s Choice Award,
“Small Works–Big Impressions” – Society of Animal Artists, The Wildlife Experience, Denver, Colorado, 2007, 2008
“American Artists Abroad” – Bennington Center for the Arts, 2006, 2007
“The Art of the Horse” – New Jersey Equine Artists Association, 2006
“Marine Wildlife” – Mendocino Art Center, 2007
“Art for the Parks – Top 100″ – National Parks Foundation, 2003
“The Art of Seeing: Nature Revealed Through Illustration” – Oakland Museum of California, Natural Sciences Department, 2003, 2006
“Just Outside My Door: Flora and Fauna of Kane Ridge” – Humboldt State University Natural History Museum, June-August 2002
“California Species” juried show – Oakland Museum of California, Natural Sciences Department, September 30, 2000 through May 13, 2001
“Our Excellent Adventure: Three Wildlife Artists on the Road” – William F. Cody Gallery, August, 2000
William F. Cody Gallery Juried Competition – 1999
Humboldt Arts Council Membership Shows – 1998, 1999, 2000
Artist’s Magazine Art Competition (Wildlife) – Finalist, 1991

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