Susie Ramsay is an artist based in Bristol, specialising in landscape and city scenes. Susie uses mixed media in her work ranging from small scale pen and ink drawings to large scale oil and acrylic canvases. The type of media she works with varies depending on the subject, size and effect trying to be achieved. Her style changes in each medium as well, for example her pen and ink will be detailed with fine brush work whereas her oil paintings using palette knives to layer colour and texture.
Susie completes most of her sketchwork outdoors and finished pieces from her studio. Where she is working will influence the type of media used. Outdoors working in pen and watercolour provides freshness and speed to her sketchwork capturing the light and composition quickly. While working from her studio on finished pieces her preference is for acrylics and oils, to build up layers and texture to paintings.
Susie’s work is inspired by how the natural world impacts on our built environment. How changes in light, weather or seasons can transform our daily cityscapes. The subject of her current work has been her local environment capturing the city of Bristol in different seasons and using different mediums.
Inspiration for her work also comes from travelling to new areas and countries. This is important for her work as it helps change her perspective and inspires her to sketch and paint new landscapes, colours and compositions.
The theme that runs throughout Susie’s work is light and colour, showing the importance to take time to look up on a sunny day to study how light changes the colour of buildings or landscapes. Seeing how the geography of cities creates interesting views and compositions.
The aim of her work is to capture beauty in everyday views and scenes. Not an idealised version, but a version that is there every day, if only for a fleeting moment, if we have time to look for it.
Exhibitions:
- ‘Streets, lanes and skylines’, The Grant Bradley Gallery, Bristol 7th-28th February 2015
- Final selection for Royal West of England Academy’s 162nd Open Exhibition, 12th October – 7th December 2014.
- Judge’s Robing Room, Bristol Court House, 7th July – 5th August 2014 – group exhibition by West Bristol Arts Trail artists
- ‘Art on the Hill’ Arts Trail, Venue 25, 4th -5th October 2014
- ‘West Bristol Arts Trail’, Venue 34, 11th-12th October 2014
- ‘Front Room Arts Trail’, The Spielman Centre, Arnos Vale Cemetary, 15th – 16th November 2014
- ‘Postcards from the road: sketches from Bristol to Brindisi’, North Bristol Arts Trail, Life Cycle UK, 29th-30th November 2014.
- ‘Postcards from the road – sketches from Bristol to Brindisi’ solo exhibition was held at The Hub, Roll for the Soul, 2 Quay Street, Bristol, BS1 2JL from 16th November – 18th December 2013.
- North Bristol Arts Trail at Life Cycle UK’s ‘Bike Back’ project, alongside other local artists.
