Susan Gragert will tell you, “I have always been creative; following in my grandmother’s footsteps, whether it be in flower arranging, decorating for the holidays, or baking a special dessert. In high school, I was voted most artistic during my senior year. In my early 20’s I started a small side business of designing stencils and painting home interiors. I continued on an artistic path with many years of classes and workshops in different mediums. In later years, I documented my travels with watercolor sketchbooks, and in 2017, after retiring from my “day job,” I was finally able to devote my time to honing my skills as an oil painter. My first goal as a painter was to create works for my own home. Today, my goal is to create works for other people’s homes.”
There is a direct correlation between my life and my work as an artist. My still life paintings are set up from pieces in my personal collections of vintage items, some of which were found in far-flung locales such as India and Africa. My animal paintings are linked to my passion for conservation, and with each of my pieces, my love of decorating shines through. I always envision what type of interior will work with the piece I am painting, how it will fit into that interior, and what the painting will evoke or say to the owner. I hope that every piece will bring happiness, through color, a childhood memory, an interesting design, or just staring into the eyes of a favorite animal.