Susan Clare

Susan Clare is a painter working in watercolour, acrylic and mixed media, based in her native south-east Essex. She made her home in Jamaica for more than 30 years, and her work draws on both places: the tropical gardens, characterful faces and Caribbean reefs of Jamaica, and, more recently, the marshes, wildlife and countryside of Essex, whose subtle colours and fresh charm her return home has renewed for her. Across both continents her themes encourage mindfulness and a reverence for life in its natural, graceful simplicity.

A full-time artist since 1997, she began with traditional realist watercolours, specialising in portraits, and has since added a range of contemporary acrylics, both figurative and abstract. She has shown in solo and group exhibitions in Jamaica, Florida and London, including at the Mall Galleries, as well as in Chelmsford and at the Beecroft Art Gallery in Southend-on-Sea. Her awards include two category wins at the SAA Artist of the Year, a place among the finalists of the David Shepherd Wildlife Artist of the Year and of Artists & Illustrators' Artist of the Year, and a place among the final 200 of the International Watercolour Masters competition. She has written step-by-step features for Artists & Illustrators and Paint magazine.

She leads workshops, including fortnightly summer sessions at HOFS in Hadleigh, Essex, and days for RHS Hyde Hall and the SAA; was for four years resident tutor at the Butterfly Arts studio in Terling; gives talks and demonstrations to art groups; and takes commissions. Her work is held in collections in Jamaica, the Caribbean, England, the USA, Canada, Europe, Australia and Iceland.