As both observer and practitioner, I have long been drawn to watercolor. The clear color -- from pale, delicate washes to deepest darks -- is captivating. Because of its fluid nature, the paint takes on a life of its own as it mixes with different colors on the paper. I find the medium endlessly challenging, sometimes frustrating, and greatly rewarding. In recent years I’ve begun working in gouache and oil as well, finding each medium to have its own set of challenges and opportunities.

I enjoy plein-air painting and painting from still life compositions, but most often I paint from photographs. I prefer to use my own photographs as references, as they evoke a time, place or memory that inspire my work. I typically use a number of photos of a specific subject and then develop a composition based on them. I enjoy painting a variety of subjects -- among my favorites are seascapes, landscapes, florals, figurative work and pet portraits.


During college years and beyond I studied art history and dabbled in studio courses. In the early 1990‘s, however, I determined to get more serious about painting and began studying watercolor at the school of the North Shore Art League in Winnetka, IL, and at the Alain Gavin Studio in Evanston, IL. Several of my instructors are faculty of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.


My work has been exhibited in a wide variety of local art shows, and is in private and corporate collections in the Chicago area and in other parts of the country. In past years my work has been shown at the design shop, Sea Grass in Winnetka, IL and Four Winds Collection in Beaufort, SC.

Susan Underwood Paintings
underwoodsusan3@gmail.com
847-702-7711

Oil & Water Artists’ Studio, 1011 Tower Court, Front
Winnetka, IL 60093