Susan Isaacs
I am a self-taught portrait artist specialising in watercolour and coloured pencil. I also enjoy depicting my local area and wildlife. I particularly love to show the bond between parents and children, brothers and sisters, whether in the human or animal kingdoms.
I started painting seriously during the pandemic by bringing my parents back to life in a picture. Although I always loved portraits in particular, it wasn’t until recently that I took the opportunity to study in detail. The internet offers an incredible range of classes and I learned to use the luminous effects that watercolour gives to portraits, the richness of oil, the precision of pencil, and the atmosphere of charcoal.
I teach languages and many of my students commission me to depict their families and themselves. Many of them have distinguished careers in the arts - my first commission was from Francine Stock, Arts journalist and former Chairman of the Tate members, and have included Diane Lennan, former Director of the Barbican and the Serpentine Arts Gallery, Zoe Roberts, art lawyer for Christies, and now a series of paintings for my old Oxford College, Jesus College Oxford.
The Painter Stainers were the very first to recognise my work, when they invited me to show my paintings at their online exhibition during the pandemic. My debut in person exhibition was in March 2024, organised by the Worshipful Company of World Traders, to celebrate International Women’s Day.
@susanrich_art
