Susan Nicholas Gephart, a 1979 BFA graduate of Penn State, has been painting award winning landscapes “Plein Air” for thirty years. Susan has shown with The Pastel Society of America, The Art of the State of Pennsylvania, and is in the permanent collection of The Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art. In 2007 she was inducted into the Montgomery County Community College Alumni Hall of Fame, where she and her father will have an exhibition together in June 08. She is a Certified Instructor of Jack Richeson Products and teaches for the Rochester NY Art Center. Susan also organizes artist retreats at Hameau Farm Studio in Central PA, where she teaches plein air painting in pastels and oils. www.snicholasart.com
Susan’s deep appreciation of the earth is seen in her colorful, impressionistic paintings, which capture a mood or essence of what is felt. Working on location outdoors, whether in pastels or oils, allows for spontaneity and directness. Responding to the sound, smell, and light of the environment influences each interpretation. The essential elements of these paintings are color, shape, sense of atmosphere, and the emotion of the moment. In the creation of her large studio works, music provides energy for inspiration. 'When all that exists is the response to color, marks, and the inner music of painting, then all is in harmony, and there is a sense of balance.'
'I am committed to the idea of bringing art to the public and creating environmental awareness through landscape painting. Each May and October I organize a “Plein Air” artist retreat in Central PA's 'Big Valley', at Hameau Farm Studio in Belleville. It is my goal to create a safe and nurturing environment for artists to paint, interact, flourish, and exhibit, while at the same time promoting alternative uses for farmland.'
