Susan Watts is an artist practising predominently as a painter. The starting point for her work often comes from her interest in the textures and expressive qualities of the materials themselves as a means of exploring ideas. She works with acrylics, watercolour and a wide range of mixed media including found textiles and other materials. The work is often abstract but her inspiration comes from life and those impressions and experiences which can be impossible to pin down figuratively such as the distant memory of place and atmosphere. Her involvement in music and her travels to many different places add their influence to the work also. She has an ongoing interest in the ways both people and landscapes present their public face whilst hiding layers of history and experience beneath and often these layers become part of the working process.
Susan currently lives in Leeds, in West Yorkshire, working from her studio at East Street Arts (ESA). She spent her early years travelling and living in the Middle-East and Europe. On returning to the UK she studied at Leeds College of Art with tutors who included Patrick Oliver. She also has a degree in History and studied music at Leeds Music College. Susan developed her art practise throughout, whilst working in a range of different jobs, and it is this eclectic mix of experiences that contribute to the richness of the work.
previous exhibitions...
...also in many private collections.