Join us Tuesday, February 4, 2025
7:00 PM
National Headquarters of the Sons of Utah Pioneers
3301 E Louise Ave, Millcreek, UT 84109
Susan McFarlane will demonstrate her technique of applying texture to the paper, pouring watercolor, and finally developing a finished painting. She begins without the end in mind, letting the process guide her decisions along the way. This process allows her, as an artist to play with the materials, partner with the experience, and relax into a creative mindset. Some paintings develop quickly while others take a long time. She will also share a secret in this technique that allows for changing your mind, pushing and pulling the paint as you go.
Susan is the Holladay Artist of the Month February 2025. You can stop by the Holladay City Hall to see some of her work on display there. Don’t miss this preview of Susan’s technique, and if you are intrigued, she will be presenting a workshop at a local studio on March 29, 30. Watch the email newsletter for details.
Susan’s Bio and CV
Susan is originally from Massachusetts, recently relocated to Salt Lake City. After graduating from High School she went west for college earning a Bachelor’s degree in Graphic Design from Brigham Young University. Her education continued with a Post Baccalaureate Certificate from Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, and a Museum Studies Master’s Degree from Harvard. While working as a graphic designer, she often needed illustrations for a project and completed them herself experimenting with a number of techniques. Moves with her family have taken her to Oregon, Virginia, New Jersey, and Massachusetts. She has shown her work wherever she has lived, combining observations of each place into her work.
Her primary medium of watercolor has allowed Susan to “play in the water.” She enjoys experimenting with texture, combining traditional techniques with new. While slowly adding layers, glazing, lifting, and closely observing her subject, Susan brings depth to her work. She has studied with Kathleen Conover, James Toogood, Marie Natale, and Carolyn Latanision combining techniques from each into her own style. Susan has been an instructor at LexArt, taught at Snow Farm, and Rockport Art Association & Museum. Susan is a current member of Utah Watercolor Society, Intermountain Society of Artists, former member of New England Watercolor Society, Rockport Art Association Experimental Art Group, Cambridge Art Association, and LexArt. She continues to volunteer with Museum of Fine Arts Boston as an access guide for virtual tours.
Exhibits include:Small Works Show, Red Butte Garden, Salt Lake City, UT
Francesca Anderson Fine Art Gallery, Lexington, MA
Rockport Art Association & Museum National Show, Rockport, MA
Unexpected #23, Gloucester, MA
Unexpected #24, Gloucester, MA
Gallery Twist, Lexington, MA
Art Walk, Lexington
Art Walk, Reading, MA
Lexington Open Studios, Lexington, MA
Art Walk, Reading, MA
Reading Art Exhibits, Reading, MA
Solo Show, Annandale, VA
Student Show, Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, Philadelphia, PA
Smithville NJ Center for the Arts, NJ
Burlington County, NJ
Illustrators Club, Washington, DC
⦁ 2024 Honorable Mention, Utah Watercolor Society Fall Exhibition
⦁ 2024 AAUW Utah Women Artists Exhibition, The Katherine Louise Howe Roberts Award
for Best Traditional Watercolor with a Nature Theme
⦁ 2023 3rd Place, Reading Art Association Spring Show
⦁ 2022 2nd Place Watercolor, Woburn Guild of Artists
⦁ 2022 Mary Saija Award, Reading Art Association
⦁ 2022 RAA&M National Show
⦁ 2022 Nathalie Nordstrand Award, Reading Art Association
⦁ 2022 Jurors Selection Award, Natural Visions, LexArt
⦁ 2020 Prize for Excellence in Abstract Painting
⦁ 2019 Reading Art Association Third Place Watercolor
⦁ 2019 George Shedd Prize for Excellence in Watercolor
⦁ 2017 Woburn Guild of Artists First Place Watercolor
⦁ 2016 Woburn Guild of Artists Best in Show
⦁ 2016 Reading Art Association Best in Show
⦁ Smithville NJ Center for the Arts in So. NJ Juried Exhibition
⦁ Burlington County NJ Juried Exhibition
⦁ Juried Student Show PAFA
⦁ CoSIDA Excellence in Publications “Best in the District” Award
⦁ Juried Illustrators Club Exhibition, Washington, DC