An award-winning watercolorist, Koch tries to evoke a place of familiarity or belonging—a feeling of “being home.”
Painting began as a childhood passion for Susan. As far back as she can remember she was intrigued with drawing what she saw. She always knew painting was what she would do with her life and was determined to go to art school.
She studied watercolor at the American Academy of Art in Chicago under the late Irving Shapiro, one of the great watercolor artists of our time. Right out of art school, she found a job as a professional artist—doing graphic design for Yellow Pages ads.
With the exception of a few years after her second daughter was born, Susan has been painting all her adult life.
“I have to do it,” she says. “It’s too much a part of me. I’ll never retire because I’ll always be painting.”
Since then, she has won many awards, including “Best of Show” and “Peoples’ Choice” several years running in the Watercolor Society of Oregon annual shows.
Susan now devotes herself painting what she finds meaningful.
“Art is an expression of a deeper spiritual need,” she explains.
She draws her subject matter from the world around her, painting detailed landscapes, florals, and still lifes. She also creates beaded jewelry featuring complex, luminous designs.
“For me, what captures my interest in a scene is the quality and angle of light. It changes constantly and with that change comes the challenge.”
She has lived in many places around the country but favors the Pacific Northwest. She lived for 10 years on the Oregon coast, and several more in central Oregon, but the romance of the farms and vineyards of the Willamette Valley called to her. Today she lives just west of Portland.
See the Works of Susan Koch at Village Frame & Gallery
Her exhibit, along with the works of Dee Anderson, is on display throughout the month of August. Stop by during regular Gallery hours: Tuesday – Saturday, 10 am – 6 pm, at 7808 SW Capitol Hwy, Portland, OR 97219.
In the meantime, here’s a sneak peek of Susan’s artwork:
