Ambassador of the Week: Susan Wiley

August 6, 2018

WileyS5MagnoliaSunset — "Sunset Magnolia" (watercolor, 22 x 28 in.): This is an aged magnolia that has turned bronze. As I saw it aging with each passing day, it slowly turned from a beautiful white to this beautiful golden color just before it dropped its petals. I realized that there can be beauty in our aging, too.

Meet Susan Wiley, this week’s top American Watercolor Weekly Ambassador!

Having worked in nursing for many years, I feel that I had the opportunity to observe people, how they live their lives, and how they die — all of which is greatly reflected in my paintings, and in particular, my close-ups of flowers … there are so many parallels.

“Puissance” (watercolor, 22 x 28 in.): This is the center of a white peony. It is a soft, gentle and fragrant flower, yet it has strength and boldness in its design, and in particular, in its very center. It does have its own quiet strength, thus the title.

On the surface, my paintings are joyful, expressing the ordinary in powerful ways, using design and color. More recently, I have been adding mixed media to my repertoire to express an edginess to my subjects.

“Single Poppy” (watercolor, 22 x 28 in.): I have learned a lot about life by painting close ups of flowers. This poppy is in full bloom, the height of its color and fullness of form – just as we are at the peak of our lives, too. It’s a beautiful time of life, rich in joy and splendor, just like this fully bloomed poppy.

I have been teaching watercolors for over 2o years and have signature membership in the NorthEast Watercolor Society and the Florida Suncoast Watercolor Society.

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