A new biography: Susan Sutton: The Artist and her Art, was launched by author Marion Pescud, at Metropolis Gallery in Geelong earlier this month.
The book follows Susan’s journey from the aspirations of her early years to the maturity of acclaimed recognition.
As a prominent artist in Lorne, Susan has for many years captured the unique qualities and experiences which embody the true spirit of Lorne. Her paintings have depicted beach scenes, swimmers in the Pier to Pub, the environment of the Otways and landscapes of the Surf Coast to name a few.
In the Introduction to her book, the writer says of Susan: “Her work mostly concentrates on Victoria’s Surf Coast along the Great Ocean Road between Geelong and Lorne and the Otway Ranges beyond. She brings life to her work with atmospheric renditions of the region – moody skies over lonely winter beaches, and the sunny energy of summer sands, juxtaposed with lush but subdued leafiness of the bush.
With meticulous research, she portrays every element with detailed accuracy…. Integral to all of Susan’s work is her mastery of light and exquisite renditions of texture; be it the glassy reflectiveness of wet sand, the wispy opaqueness of summer clouds or hard urban concrete juxtaposed against softer elements.”
In recent times, there have been two books which have highlighted the heritage and environment of Lorne and the Surf Coast and both have done the job exceptionally well. The first is Leigh Hammerton’s book, “Greetings from Lorne”. Leigh’s book is a tourism history of Lorne using early photographs and postcards from the author’s private collection. The book includes a detailed description of all views and a history of tourism development. The second book is “Written in Stone”, by Philomena Manifold. Philomena’s book is subtitled, “reading the rocks of the Great Ocean Road.” It is a book which explores the geological history of our coastline through text which is both educational and poetic supported by beautiful imagery.
This biography of Susan Sutton chronicles her life and her art, and in that respect, ranges across broader topics than just Lorne and the Surf Coast. But it is the collection of images of her paintings of the life, culture and environment of our region which makes this book a worthy addition to the collection of books which so capably depict this special place. There are many, many images of paintings of such topics as; Beach, Coast, Lorne, the Otways, Geelong, Sports, Landscapes and Portraits. For those who admire her work, this book makes the variety of her paintings under these and other topics, very accessible.
There will be a launch of the book in Lorne on 8 December at Lorne Beach Books providing an opportunity for people in Lorne to meet Susan. Signed copies of the book are now available at Lorne Beach Books and Qdos.
