Susan Wells

I am inspired by the natural world and engage with it when walking, sketching and painting ‘en plein
air’, aiming to capture the colour, form of flora in the landscape. I am particularly inspired by the
diverse coastal flora along the South West Coast Path, near my home in St Ives, Cornwall.

My recent work is coastal, botanical landscape, and focuses on the jewel-like flora clinging to the
edge of the cliffs, where the land meets the sea. Working from my initial sketches, I paint in oils,
aiming to capture the natural intertwining and competition between the various species often on
precarious rugged outcrops.

My paintings have been described as being “beautifully painted, with a masterful application of paint”, I aim to zoom in, to capture the natural colours and forms of the plants and rocks, sometimes with a hint of sea and sky to set off the location. The paint is applied with areas of impasto using painting knives and brushes. I use top quality Old Holland and Michael Harding oil paints which are highly pigmented. The smaller paintings look good presented in a series, imagining one is taking a walk along the coast.