Susan Wilson was born in New Zealand. Her family lived in a rural community on the South Island. She trained to be a nurse and worked as a sister in a hospital which treated patients who had head injuries. Although she found this work rewarding she wanted to travel and discover the world for herself. In 1976 she achieved her ambition and set off from New Zealand with a one-way ticket to South America. Here she saw sights that she never dreamt that she would see. Wanting to remember everything, she began to make drawings, and continued to do this, recording places and events, as she travelled from South America through Europe.
During a stay in London she visited the National Gallery. The paintings she saw inspired her, and made her feel that perhaps she too could become an artist. She was accepted for study at Camberwell School of Art and trained there for four years. Her tutors taught her the importance of drawing. Now she draws continually as a way of learning about, and understanding the world. Her sketchbooks, which are included in the exhibition, show the way in which she makes a record of people and places. Sometimes she will use pencil or charcoal, but often prefers to use ink and brush so that she can work quickly and create flowing lines and tones. The finished works are oil paint on canvas, which is cotton or linen stretch tightly over a wooden frame. The brush strokes are visible, and often the paint is applied quite thickly, with layers of colours making a rough textured surface.
'Prelude'
Oil on Canvas. One of the illustrations for a book of short stories by Katherine Mansfield
