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Suzanne Morris

Suzanne Morris uses broken color and expressive brushwork to convey her impressions of a subject. She does not try to tell the whole story… just enough to say what is important to her, then allows viewers to “finish” the piece for themselves; thereby making each painting more personal to the viewer. She is fascinated by the play of light and shadow.  It is the effect light has on a subject that draws her to it. The patterns created by light falling across a subject can transform an ordinary scene into an extraordinary one. It is the magic she feels when she comes across one of these scenes that she tries to capture on her canvases. This is accomplished by adherence to light and shadow patterns, and the use of vivid, descriptive color, and bold expressive brushwork.  If she does everything just right, she is able to share a piece of that magic with those who view her work.

     While she is predominately self -taught, Suzanne has studied with some of the best painters in the country.  This group includes Kevin Macpherson, Scott Christensen, and Charles Sovek.

          Suzanne belongs to and has exhibited her award winning alla prima paintings with several national painting organizations. She is a signature member of The American Society of Marine Artists; an artist member of the California Art Club and Laguna Plein Air Painters Association and an associate member of Women Artists of the West, Oil Painters of America, Plein Air Painters of MN, MAPAPA, and Women Painters of the Southeast. Suzanne served as Show Chair for the American Impressionist Society’s 14th National Exhibition.

     Sue is an avid plein air painter. She loves painting outdoors from life. There is SO much information in the field… a painter is forced to simplify and organize a design in order to tell the story. Light moves very quickly outdoors so one must “lay it down and leave it”. There is no time to overwork a piece.  All of a painter’s senses are used to infuse the work with a feeling of the place…. the smells, the sounds, the wind, even the people a painter encounters become part of a plein air painting. Mother nature creates color harmonies that would be impossible to make up in the studio. A plein air painting is truly a painter’s impression of the subject.

 She participates in as many plein air events as her schedule permits each year.  Inter action with other participating artists is not only a great learning opportunity; these events are a great source of energy and inspiration as well. She organized a paint out and “wet paint” show in conjunction with the Oil Painters of America’s Great American Paint Out where her painting “Garden Gate” won the people’s choice award. She is the president and the founding member of Outer Banks Outdoors, a plein air group in Nags Head, NC.

     Suzanne believes strongly in sharing information and ideas with other painters.  She holds a weekly workshop in her studio on the Outer Banks of North Carolina for painting and another for life drawing.  She teaches workshops and demonstrates her painting techniques for her galleries and other interested groups. She organizes monthly paint outs for the plein air group she founded. She hosts plein air and studio workshops with nationally acclaimed painters. She has served as both entry and awards juror for several events.

     Morris is currently represented by a number of galleries. She has participated in several solo and group shows with these galleries. She has mounted at least one solo show every year since she began to paint full time. Her work continues to be juried into national and regional shows.  Two of her paintings were juried into the 44th National Exhibition of the Women Artists of the West, at the California Women’s Museum in San Diego, CA. Her paintings were juried into the Laguna Plein Air Painters Association’s “Best of Plein Air” and “Less is More” exhibits; The “Urban Beauty” and “6 Inch Squared shows at the Randy Higbee Gallery: and “Small Treasures Holiday Salon” at the Debra Huse Gallery in 2014.  To date, Four of her paintings have received an award from the Bold Brush Painting competition in 2015. In addition to being juried into a number of plein air events, Morris’ work will be featured in an invitational exhibit of the American Society of Marine Artists, the Salmagundi Club Non-Member show in NY, a gallery show in VA. Beach, VA and a gallery show in Greenville, NC later this summer.

     Mrs. Morris has been a featured artist in several national art magazines in the last few years. She was one of five marine artists featured in the September 2013 issue of Southwest Art and the subject of 2 Artist Focus features in American Art Collector Magazine.

     Suzanne’s work is collected both corporately and privately throughout the United States. Most notable of her corporate collectors are Burt’s Bees, East Carolina Bank, Paragon Commercial Bank, First Citizens Bank, Verizon Corporate Headquarters, the commandant of Mid-Shipmen at the US Naval Academy, University of California, Irvine, Medical Center, and Duke University Hospital.