“It’s funny how things start. You try something new and if it works it takes you down a new path.”
For Suzanne Jepson, painting is like a walk in the park. After retiring, she began painting again but it wasn’t until a specific moment that propelled her into the art world. “I wanted to prove I could sell a painting so I entered a competition and my painting sold! That moment encouraged me to pursue my goal of getting into a gallery.”
While Suzanne has experimented with various subject matter, it is her “Rain/Snow Scene” series that is her favorite. The series was born nearly 10 years ago on a whim while pondering a theme for a Bon Air art show. The series has become so popular that she has become known as “The Umbrella Lady”. While each painting differs in perspective, Suzanne likes to create the illusion that the viewer is almost walking down the road with the crowd, dodging the rain. Most of her paintings feature a woman with a yellow coat and an orange umbrella because she wanted that “pop of color” to bring attention to the painting.
Creatively speaking, Suzanne begins most paintings with no preconceived notions, not even a sketch. “Every once in a while I will reference a photo but most of the time I make it up as I go along. I love it when people say the cityscapes remind them of France, Italy or New York. I almost hate to tell them they come mostly from my imagination.”
An important realization through Suzanne’s artistic journey is learning that you are your own “best critic.” “Keep working on your own until you get it right, and you’ll know when you do because you will find yourself smiling!”