Where Life and Art Merge

Where Life and Art Merge - A journey of discovery. Open 9 am - 7 pm daily, closing at 4 pm on 17 September.

Bringing Cornwall to Portobello Road, Susan is a leading UK contemporary pressed flower and mixed media artist. Her work is inspired by Cornwall and it’s coastline. Susan selects flora from her Cornish garden and local seaweed which she lays on luxurious silks and satins with light catching mixed media including precious stones and rare vintage threads.

Originally trained as a lawyer, the catalyst for Susan’s artwork was a head injury and you’ll see that reflected in some of the truly unique artwork she creates which emulates a sense of movement, depth and gravitas which is mesmerising. Susan suffered a head injury as a result of meningitis. Left with epilepsy at the time, pressing flowers was a relaxing therapy during the early years of recovery. She found her creativity had been triggered by the head injury. A move to Cornwall in 2005 lead to improved health and a return to the legal profession. The need to express herself creatively in art became all consuming and in 2012 she had ‘the moment’ in the office when she realised she had to follow her new artistic path, her dream of becoming an artist. The rest is history.

Now with her own gallery in Penzance, she is launching a new solo exhibition being held at J/M Gallery. Her work has appeared in publications‘ such as TATLER’, ‘World of Interiors’, ‘House and Garden Magazine Online’ and London Life Magazines and is held in private collections in the UK and worldwide.

Meet Susan in person at the gallery as she reveals her latest original artworks especially for this exhibition. Inspired by reflections on her life as an artist in the Cornish Community and how life and art merge in a truly unique way in this part of the world. Her new works include pressed flora, shells and fishing line from Cornish fishermen, seaweed from local beaches, freshwater pearls, feathers (sourced from local peacocks), precious/semi precious stones, and mixed media laid on silk, satin and organza.

Each of her artworks has a back story, from the shells she has collected from local fishermen to the fishing net which she collected and carried over her shoulder in stormy weather from Newlyn to Penzance. Also an accomplished textile artist, she is adept at shaping and layering vintage and modern fabrics to create a unique 3D effect with a sense of depth and distance, evident especially in her coastal scenes.

Susan will also be signing copies of her autobiography ‘BLUE YONDER and BEYOND’, the inspiring story of her journey from lawyer, surviving meningitis and a head injury, to full time artist.

For more information or to request an invite to the private viewing, please contact info@susanfowler.co.uk.