Susan Lyon

Susan draws much inspiration from painters such as Zorn, Fechin, Sorolla, and Celia Beaux. Lyon's technique is to paint wet on wet to start and then wet on dry for her finishing touches. She occasionally thins her oils with mineral spirits to obtain a balance of scratchy brush work against thick opaque strokes for the lights. "My style is realistic with as much impressionistic color as possible. I like to combine wide brushes for sweeping strokes in the background with small, soft brushes for subtle details in my center of interest."

Many of her ideas come from the everyday objects that surround her such as stuffed animals, dolls or the occasional curious kitten playfully exploring her studio. "What I hope to accomplish is to convey the whimsical beauty I see around me as well as to make the viewer smile when they look at my work. When I started out as an artist, I struggled against my own more feminine tastes. I feared people would not take a painting of stuffed animals or dolls seriously. Once I overcame this self-consciousness, I was happy to find that what I enjoy looking at day after day also reaches others. Even when I'm painting fairly traditional things, my greatest joy is figuring out original ways of setting up the most common of still life objects so that they appear dynamic.

Susan Lyon lives in a rural area of North Carolina with her husband, artist Scott Burdick, whom she met at the Palette and Chisel in 1989 and married in 1993. She moved there to escape the hectic pace of city life as well as to experience an entirely different part of the country. Surrounded by nature, Susan's studio allows her the space and privacy to grow as an artist. It also serves as a perfect home-base for her painting trips and travels which have included most of Europe, Turkey, Greece, Mexico, Canada, Nepal, Thailand, China and Africa. "The excitement of traveling, seeing so many new sights, and incredible works in museums; combined with the challenge of painting on the spot make me a travel addict! Even before I go on a trip I'm planning the one after."

Susan's mediums of choice are oil and charcoal, with occasional forays into watercolor.

Selected Publications

March issue of "Art Talk", 1997
July/August "Art of the West" 1998
January issue of Southwest Art 2000
June / July issue of "International Artist" 2000
U.S. Art fall of 2001
June/July issue of "Art Talk" 2002
May issue of Southwest art 2004
The Artist's Sketch Book, August of 2004
The Artist's Magazine "Most likely to Succeed" October 2005
Southwest Art, "Dispatches Painting in France, Aug 2006
CreateBetterPaintings.com, January 2008
The Artist's Magazine, July/August 2008
Visions and Voyages - "The Art of Susan Lyon," Published 2008

Honors and Awards

1992 First Place in the Gold Medal Show - Palette and Chisel, Chicago
1993 First Place in the Gold Medal Show - Palette and Chisel, Chicago
1998 Western Rendezvous of Art, Helena , Montana - Honorable Mention
2001 Western Rendezvous of Art, Helena , Montana - Honorable Mention
2003 Honorable Mention for Figurative - International Artist Magazine
2004 Second Prize for Figurative - International Artist Magazine
2004 Montgomery frame award - Masters of the American West, Los Angeles
2007 Salon Show Greenhouse Gallery - Honorable Mention
2008 CreateBetterpaintings.com - Honorable Mention.

«Return to Artist List