Sue ARNOLD

Meet the Artist

I have been painting for about ten years, falling under the spell of oil paint with its beautiful texture and colours. I am largely self-taught, attending local classes, reading and experimenting. Recently I have been on courses at the wonderful School of Painting at St Ives in Cornwall, home to so many great 20th century British artists, and this year at the Norfolk Painting School which has helped me to develop my brushwork and technical skills.

My professional background is in Conservation of Prints and Drawings.  Following a degree in History of Art with conservation training at Camberwell, I worked in various galleries and studios in London and Suffolk conserving prints, drawings and watercolours.  My years working for the National Trust reflect my interest in historic interiors as well as fine art.

I now paint mostly still lifes in oils and working from life, and I am inspired by forms, their interrelationships and how light and colour play across their surfaces.  Remaining grounded in close observation and figuration, I am working to develop my practice away from reporting, towards a more intuitive investigation of shape, colour, tone and light. Above all the mystery and joy of perception and the power and beauty of colour keep me excited and compelled to paint.

EXHIBITIONS 

  • Guest artist at the Chalk Gallery, Lewes 31 May - 23 July 2023
  • My painting 'Blue Morning' selected for the Sussex Contemporary, held at the i360 Brighton, October 2022
  • Artwave 2022 at Paddock Studios, Lewes
  • Solo exhibition at the Stable Gallery, Paddock Studios, Lewes December 2022
  • Guest artist at the Chalk Gallery, Lewes, for Artwave 2021
  • Institute of East Anglian Artists (selected)
  • Ipswich Art Society Annual Open (selected)
  • Joint solo show at Carousel Gallery, Framlingham
  • Guest artist at the Handmade Shop & Gallery, Bury St Edmunds
  • Artist of the month, Suffolk Living, Felixstowe
  • Suffolk Open Studios
  • Art in the Barn, Wingfield
  • Heart of Suffolk, Thorpe Morieux

Before my move to East Sussex in 2021 I was elected a member of the Ipswich Art Society, of which I am very proud.