Sue Foell has a passion for oil painting which is fueled by the excitement she feels while trying to capture the life of her subject on canvas. Her convincing sense of light and dark, confident brushstrokes, strong drawing skills, and use of rich color give a special strength to her paintings. After working as a graphic artist for 14 years, Sue studied for four years with well-known portrait artist, William J. Kalwick Jr., while living in Houston, TX, which left her with a lasting love for portrait and figurative painting. She also studied with plein air painter, Roger Dale Brown, and now ranks painting outdoors as one of the most enjoyable experiences there is for an artist.
Sue lives in Olive Branch with her husband and eleven-year old daughter, Kayla, who is a frequent model for her paintings. The thrill and fascination she finds in painting the beauty all around us is something she says will never grow old.
In the past several years, Sue has received numerous awards at various local and national shows. She recently had paintings accepted into the Salon International 2009 and 2008 Juried Exhibitions, the Salon International 2007 Juried Exhibition where she received a “Jury’s Top 50” award, the Oil Painters of America’s 2009 and 2007 National Juried Exhibitions, and the Oil Painters of America’s 2008 and 2007 Eastern Regional Exhibitions. She is an Associate Member of the Oil Painters of America and an active member of the Memphis Germantown Art League. Sue’s work hangs in private collections throughout the country and at the following galleries: Galerie Mado Chalvet in Houston, TX; Southside Gallery in Oxford, MS; and Portland Classic Gallery in Tigard, OR.
Sue also teaches oil painting classes at the Memphis Botanic Garden and at the DeSoto Art Academy in Olive Branch. Her basic oil painting class teaches students the fundamentals of oil painting, and her portrait class is for students who have the passion to improve their skills at painting the most challenging and rewarding subject there is – the human face. “The pure beauty that exists everywhere in this world goes unnoticed by the average person. My goal is to use the gift I’ve been given to recreate that beauty, using paint on a canvas, in such a way as to convince others to open their eyes and take notice. Perhaps then they will be inspired to begin to see the beauty around them as it was meant to be seen and appreciated.”