Artist Bio

Susan Beth Wilhelm is a native of the Tidewater Virginia area, growing up in Virginia Beach on the Chesapeake Bay. Her admiration for the coast, nature, and wildlife is the inspiration for most of her paintings. The expression of vivid color is demonstrated throughout her paintings in watercolor and watercolor batiks. Now living in the southwest, her work reflects the richness of the colors in the southwest heritage.

Susan Beth has developed her ability since she was a young child with the expertise of her father. She studied under regionally and nationally acclaimed artists in Virginia, Alabama, and Oklahoma. A retired mechanical engineer, she has been a professional artist since age 16, and has illustrated music books for Walt Disney.

Presently, Susan Beth exhibits in galleries in Alabama, Florida, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, and Virginia as well as entering in select water media, watercolor, and Impressionist exhibitions across the country.

Recently she has judged and taught workshops in Germany. A member of the American Watercolor Society, she has numerous 2D first place awards and National 2D awards for her work.

Piece Description

“Kimray is a family,” Susan Beth says. “I talked to people who were so into their work, so happy with their work. I thought they needed to be represented along with the valve. These are the people who support the valve. These figures represent all the people behind it.

“When you place the liquid wax on, you paint in layers. You place the wax in an area where you don’t want color, and then you lift it with a heat process and re-apply the wax. I’ve left portions of the wax on the valve, so it will give some texture to the painting.

“When I approach a project, there are certain specifications that I have to stick to, whereas the art tends to let you be a little more free. I can be a little looser on the painting side. When you’re crunching numbers, you have to be exact. I do like to be authentic. It kind of bothers me when things do not have perfect right angles. That’s kind of my trademark.”