Slice-of-Life Scenes: An Art Portfolio by Susan Kathryn Peck
Remembering Tom, oil on linen mounted to masonite
Susan Kathryn Peck is a self-taught artist who works primarily in oil paint, rendering landscapes, portraits, and idyllic slice-of-life scenes with equal skill and attention to detail. Based in Ontario, many of Susan’s works incorporate distinctive landscape elements that give the viewer a firsthand look at the artist’s environment.
I really enjoy the works in Susan’s Portraits gallery -- the artist has a knack for capturing the unique face shapes of both children and adults, and applies a delicate touch to shading and volume in each work. Susan’s use of lighting and backdrop furthers the distinct mood of each portrait, and seems to suggest something about the personality of the subject, or the circumstances under which the portrait was painted.
In her Wildlife & Animals gallery, Susan showcases equal talent for rendering animals -- in this case of the avian variety. In gestural, slightly loose brush stroke, Susan captures both the softness of a falcon’s feathers, and the rough textures of moss-covered branches as setting.