What I like most about artist Susan Pepler is that she is thoughtful. Not in the ‘how may I be of service to you’ kind of way (although she is the nicest person you’ll ever meet), but in how she considers the elements of her art in a profound manner. It is rare to encounter an artist who appreciates how a thickly paint-compressed palette holds its ground when she’s swishing her brush around on it. She smilingly asked me to pick up one of her multicolour crusted plates to weigh the heft. It really was unweildy. It’s those little things that betray her love of the craft; the material, the light, the texture, the bristles, the creaminess of the paint… Susan Pepler is an artist in every sense of the word.
What I like second-best about Susan is her direct, soft-spoken confidence. The interview passed in a breeze, because it’s easy to chat with someone who knows what she likes and is absolutely impeccable in her tastes. My kinda gal.
Susan considers her subject matter in an intelligent, if almost studious manner that is mixed with awe and admiration. You’d think all artists do, right? Wrong. Too many painters today throw colour across a surface and attempt to attach meaning, value and soul to it without first finding something that really matters to them. In turn it seems obvious, aesthetically insubstantial and contrived. In my opinion, contemporary art has taken such an abysmal nosedive that I don’t know if the art world will ever recover…but I’ll save that rant for another day.
Where Susan Pepler stands head and shoulders above the pack is in the very consideration of what she deems to be beautiful. To her, the paint itself is beautiful. A palette that any other artist would toss is meaningful and useful. A specific time of day can be breathtaking. The physical act of painting is all-encompassing. Embarking upon one of her many voyages to Cuba in order to study vintage automobiles in a tropical setting is a sublime experience. All this being true, then one must assume her art must also beautiful, no? Well it’s more than that; it is sumptuous, refreshing and ravishing.
She paints her subjects in a sure, direct and precise manner, yet she also leaves a lot to the imagination. One can see the brushstrokes, the paint, the movement, but somehow the realism of the atmosphere is also evident to the point that you can feel the humidity, the blazing heat on the hood of the car, the laziness of the afternoon, or the subtle velvet of a flower petal. This is a painter who can do this over and over again, making it look effortless.
After obtaining her Bachelor of Fine Arts at Concordia, Susan earned her stripes working for many years an illustrator, where her draftsmanship was honed to perfection. She eventually got some big freelance accounts doing storyboards for ad agencies, but what strikes a chord is the story of her first day of work as an illustrator; “I was really struggling at the time, so I couldn’t even afford a bus pass. Riding my bike home from my first day of work and stopping to admire a gorgeous sunset atop a hill, I stood still and really absorbed the enormity of that moment, saying to myself: ‘Oh my gosh, I am really getting paid to do this!’”
This is what I mean about her thoughtfulness. Even when she was young and inexperienced, she stopped to take stock and revel in a sunset at the same time.
Time passed, and after years successfully ensconced in a great career, Susan felt as though she should be doing something else. She didn’t know what, why or how, it was just a feeling that was creeping into her bones. One day, she scribbled something into her sketch pad that read; ‘Just Paint’, saying it came to her like a big loud voice. Now at this point you should be asking; ‘Yeah, but how does one just drop everything and follow their dreams?’ (You know, with needing to pay rent and eat and all.)
Susan kept free-lancing for one loyal client, had some savings to lean on, and began to paint in earnest. Before long, a friend who owned a gallery asked her if she was willing to exhibit in his space. She did what any normal budding painter would do and she completed 30 paintings within a month. (I’m being facetious here, ’cause don’t all artists wish they could do that?) Oh, and at the opening, 11 of her works sold within the first hour and the show turned out to be a smashing success. I don’t think she really knew how good she was, and she still sounds humbly astounded when she tells this story.
Susan is not represented by a gallery or agent, as she does her own promo and self-exhibits. Some years back she took some sage advice some from a very successful businessman and friend who told her; “The best person to represent your product is you. You know who you are better than anyone else.”
She also asked herself the question everyone should ask themselves; “What do I love doing?” Her answer was sure and swift; “Painting & entertaining.” She combined the two and creatively solved her conundrum of self-promotion.
Susan and her team entertain clients, friends and a few privileged newbies for cocktail parties, dinners and studio visits in her home throughout the year. Luckily, her stately Shaughnessey Village greystone is perfectly suited for such gatherings. The gallery rails (for hanging art) were already built-in when she bought the place. She does one-woman exhibits in Knowlton during the summer and finds great spaces like the lobby of Le Meridian Versailles on Sherbrooke street where her new upcoming show debuts this April 4th.
She said that the business aspect did not come easily at the beginning, but she asked a lot of questions from people who were successful, and she took advice from trusted acquaintances whilst scraping though some lean years. It’s been since 2000 that Susan has been painting, selling and taking commissions. With the permission of her clients, she has photographs taken of her paintings after they’re installed in their new homes or offices.
Today, what you see is an artist who comfortably paints/does what she loves for a living. From the spark of an idea comes the flame of bright, vintage automobiles cruising down hazy, palm-lined streets. Susan states; “I have the words ‘Paint for Beauty’ on my studio walls. If I’m painting peonies, I paint their sweetness and their wildness …if I’m painting vintage cars from Havana, I give them a regal and celebratory presence. They are survivors. My hope is that the Cuba car paintings honour the country and the people for their ingenuity, endurance and creativity.”
Susan also produces wildly lush florals, inventive and pretty still lifes, landscapes, butterflies and pools. Did I say pools? Yes, I did…she has fallen in love with hotel swimming pools! You have to see them to believe them. I really hope she goes in that direction for her next show, because I don’t know anyone else who does, or could do it as well as she.
Susan’s upcoming show info;
‘From Cuba With Love’
Opening Night; Thursday, April 4th 17:30-19:30 (runs through June 30th, 2013)
Where; Le Meridian Versailles, 1808, Sherbrooke W., Montreal, PQ, H3H 1E5
Contact info;
E-Mail; susan@susanpepler.com
Tel; 514.933.0776
Check out Susan’s work;
Site/Blog; www.susanpepler.com
Facebook; https://www.facebook.com/susanpepler.paintings
Visit Cuba; http://www.visitcuba.com/2013/02/montreals-susan-pelper-paints-cuban-cars/
