Project Description
Suzanne deLesseps
After retiring from 30 years as a landscape gardener, I am now able to devote my time to what I love most, painting and traveling. I travel with other artist friends to paint in France, Italy and the Western US. As an artist, I find the change of scenery and culture both challenging and exciting. The experiences and memories are my fuel for the winter months when I find myself in the studio more often than not.
My mediums are pastel and oil. My work is always evolving and changing as I set new goals and discover new ways to interpret and respond to the environment around me. I paint en plein air as often as possible gathering information that later serves as inspiration for more intuitive painting and experimentation in the studio. Then the journey becomes about the process of painting. The outcome is often unknown and that’s what makes it exciting!
Available Work
Suzanne deLesseps ‘Pemaquid Rocks II’ Oil on Panel 14”x 14” $690
Suzanne deLesseps ‘Pemaquid Rocks III’ Oil on Panel 14”x 14” $690
Suzanne deLesseps ‘Sylvan Glow’ Pastel on Paper 18”x15” $825
Suzanne deLesseps ‘Snowlight’ Pastel on Paper 12″x12” $415
Suzanne deLesseps ‘Winter’s Blanket’ Oil on Canvas Board 14”x16” $745
Suzanne deLesseps ‘Winter Interlude’ Oil on Canvas 14”x12” $580
Suzanne deLesseps ‘Winter Blues’ Oil on Canvas Board 14”x14” $690
Suzanne deLesseps ‘Early Surprise’ Oil on Canvas 14”x14” $690
Suzanne deLesseps The Long Walk Oil on Panel 12″x10″ $745
Suzanne deLesseps ‘Morning Fog’ Oil on Panel 10”x12” $745
Suzanne deLesseps ‘Resonance’ Gouache on Paper 11”x11” Framed $390
Suzanne deLesseps ‘Vibrations’ Gouache on Paper 11”x11” Framed $390
Suzanne deLesseps ‘Migration’ Gouache on Paper 11”x11” Framed $390
Suzanne deLesseps ‘Convergence’ Gouache on Paper 11”x11” Framed $390
Suzanne deLesseps ‘Tide’s Up’ Pastel on Paper 32”x 26” $1980
Past Work
Suzanne deLesseps ‘Summer Idyll’ Oil on Canvas 14”x14” SOLD
Suzanne deLesseps ‘Signs of Spring’ Oil on Canvas 14”x14” SOLD
Suzanne deLesseps ‘Woodland Light’ Oil on Panel 14″x14″ Framed SOLD
Suzanne deLesseps ‘Pine at the Shore’ Oil on Panel 10″x12″ SOLD
Suzanne deLesseps ‘Along the Shore’ Gouache on Paper 11″x11″ Framed SOLD
Suzanne deLesseps ‘Sunset on the Cove’ Gouache on Paper 11″x11″ Framed SOLD
Suzanne deLesseps ‘Pemaquid Rocks I’ Oil on Panel 14”x 14” SOLD
Pastel as Process
I am a landscape painter. I paint both on location (en plein air) and in the studio. My pastel and oil paintings influence each other as I switch between the two mediums.
I love pastels for their immediacy, vibrancy and richness of color. They allow me the freedom to be spontaneous in my color choices and mark making. My marks are varied – from bold and dense to delicate and lacy. I rarely blend the pastel, preferring to see the texture created by many strokes in different directions built upon each other. This creates a depth and luminosity that I find unique to pastel. The clean, saturated color and layers of the pastel add a
certain spark and life to the painting. There is an intimacy with pastel that happens because of such close contact with the painting surface.
I love oils for their juiciness and tactile quality. Like pastel, different brush strokes add texture and visual interest throughout the painting. Each stroke is determined by the type of brush, the amount of paint on the brush and the pressure used in applying the paint to the canvas. Being able to mix an infinite range of hues is an integral part of bringing light and depth to a painting.
Though the techniques are different, I use the same beginning process for both mediums. I start with a very thin under-painting, roughly indicating the large shapes and values. For pastel, I brush alcohol over a thin layer of pastel to create a colored wash. Likewise with oil, I thin the paint with mineral spirits to block in the main elements of the painting. I prefer a warm tone that will often show through subsequent layers of paint or pastel giving a feeling of light and depth. With pastel I apply many layers of pigment, starting out with bigger and bolder strokes and finally using a very light touch for the last delicate marks and highlights. Working in oil I use the same layering process, saving small details and sparks of light for the end. The rich, saturated colors of the pastel sticks remind me to keep my oil colors clean and bright.
By changing mediums from time to time I find I have a renewed interest in each that allows me to keep evolving as an artist. It’s really the journey that intrigues and drives me.
