Suzie is a Sydney-based, self-taught artist whose practice grows from a lifelong relationship with the Australian landscape. Raised on a sheep and cattle property near Mudgee, she works from direct experience with the bush - its rhythms, textures, and quiet details. After returning to painting during the COVID years, she committed to a daily studio practice that reshaped her connection to nature and clarified her desire to share that way of seeing with others. 

Her work focuses on the small, often unnoticed moments in the natural world - shifts of colour, fleeting light, and the intimate encounters many people walk past. Through painting, she invites viewers to return to these moments of stillness and sensory memory, and to reconnect with the quiet beauty that shapes our lives. 

ARTIST STATEMENT 

My practice examines how close observation of the natural world can evoke memory, attention, and emotional presence. I work across watercolour, gouache, and mixed media, choosing materials according to the visual problem I am exploring. Each medium demands a different pace and physical approach; these differences shape the tone and structure of each work. 

Nature is both my subject and my method. I study variations of light, shadow, and colour through direct observation and photography, using these fragments to build images that hold the intensity of the original moment. I focus on structure, texture, and form, reducing embellishment so the image can speak through colour relationships and the rhythm of brushwork. 

My work aims to slow the viewer’s gaze. By isolating small details - petals, blossoms, surface textures, shifts in tone - I create spaces where viewers can recall their own experiences of nature and recognise the significance held in ordinary encounters. 

Achievements: Finalist - Willoughby Arts Centre & Ewart Gallery - Ewart Art Prize 2023