Charitable Artist
Susan is committed to bringing art to the public and creating environmental awareness through her landscape paintings.
ClearWater Conservancy
In 2010, Susan donated her seventh painting to For the Love of Art and Chocolate, sponsored by ClearWater Conservancy. The event raised over $18,000 to support ClearWater's natural resource conservation in the heart of Pennsylvania.
Over a two year period, Susan created "Kish Creek" on location and in the studio. She used a mixture of expressive brush work and palette knife to finish this impressionistic painting.
PAWS - Contented Cats
Susan donated "Contented Cats" to the second annual PAWS Fur Ball held in October, 2007. The donation was given in memory of Betty Jane Nicholas, Susan's mother, who was an avid supporter of animals throughout her life.
Three years ago, Susan was faced with a "real cat problem" in her lush quiet garden. She discovered two litters of kittens living among her backyard flowers and ferns—over 15 cats! During the next year, she systematically caught ten cats one by one in a "Have a Heart" trap. She paid to have them each spayed and given rabies shots. Once released,
the remaining cats established themselves as a more reasonable family
of five. In this painting, the backyard gang had just finished its
Thanksgiving meal in the snow, and was washing up and napping on
Susan's window sill.
American Heart Association
Susan donated to "Art for the Heart" benefiting the American Hearth Association. The art auction was organized by Penns Valley High School senior, Sarah Montminy. Sarah's goal was to create a project that would not only benefit the American Heart Association, but to increase her awareness of the awesome local art culture, expose herself to new mediums, and showcase the opportunities available to young artists.
Palmer Museum
"May Clouds at Hameau Farm," was created in the studio from studies done at the 2004 Hameau Farm Artist Retreat. Each May and October, Susan teaches "Plein Air" painting and outdoor landscape painting in pastels and oils. This painting was a commission piece for The American Philatelic Societies grand opening exhibition. It gave Susan the opportunity to explore palette knife painting in rich lovely spring colors.
Bellefonte Family YMCA
The Bellefonte Family YMCA has provided programs to the community for 138 years. An annual auction allows the YMCA to run important childcare, youth, and senior programs, even when program costs exceed the revenue generated by the program. In addition, the proceeds from the auction allow the organization to provide financial assistance to those struggling financially. It is the YMCA's philosophy that no person ever be denied access to memberships or programs due to financial hardship. Last year, the auction provided over $57,000 in financial assistance to families in need.
PAWS - Outside Looking In - What's For Dinner?
"I didn't choose to have them stay, but they chose us and seem very happy to sleep under our house all year," says Susan. PAWS and several of Susan's friends help with food donations to keep these guys fed. She says they bring a smile to her face, and creating this painting for a donation was a joy!
