Susan Williamson has a passion for farm animals, getting to know them intimately through her painting. She shares that she had an awakening during an encounter with a bovine and has never looked back. "My goal is to depict these non-human animals as the sentient, beautiful beings that they are. That's it." Susan mostly paints cows, but she says all farm animals have a place in her studio. She looks into their face, at their stance, or patterns in the coat and paints from her own photographs.
Susan recalls a childhood full of drawing and painting, taking breaks for family and the corporate world. Once she left her full time job at an engineering company, she began her own education, taking classes with artists like master watercolorist, Jim McFarlane, and reading art books to enhance her knowledge. 
Early on, Susan explains that she chose her materials based on the instructor's materials list or articles in magazines. "In the beginning, I tried to save money and cheap out on materials which made the process more frustrating and gave me less satisfying results. Maybe it was a combination of poor quality materials and a learning curve, but most of the paintings were thrown in the trash. Using high quality materials is so much more satisfying. . . more pigment, more tooth, effective brushes all make a difference." These days, Susan works in pastels or oils, depending on the subject and how detailed she would like the painting to be. In either medium, Susan relies on the best substrate, painting media and brushes. Her oil pieces are layered with beautifully rendered brush strokes, and Susan works with a range of brush sizes and shapes to achieve her technique.
Keep Painting,
Karyn
For more brush information, check out the Dynasty Brush website.
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