Susan Clancy - Artist Statement

My work is place-based. It’s about being immersed in the landscape, capturing the emotions conveyed by a place.

My art showcases my painting style, a focus on expressionism, and, counter to my scientific background, exploring shape and color over details, conveying a dramatic feeling of place.

I enjoy the challenge of using watercolor’s unique properties to capture the colors of nature, convey a sense of calm and celebrate a sense of place.

Contact me to find out how you could have my art in your home!

About Susan CLANCY

Susan feels that nothing beats that total immersive feeling of painting with watercolor, combining hues that flow across the paper, creating a landscape painting that captures a sense of a place and immerses you in it. 

Susan came late to art, after retiring four years ago from a career in employee development and education. Although Susan has a Bachelor’s degree in Natural Sciences from Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland and a Masters in Education and Human Resources from Colorado State University, she was always drawn to art in some form - a beautifully carved wooden salad bowl, the interesting design of an ice-cream scoop in the shape of a penguin with a penguin head scoop, a matching fish-shaped metal pot rest and spoon rest. Looking back, Susan realizes that art was always part of her; she just didn't fully recognize it.

Once she retired, Susan set up a ‘studio’ in a spare room with two folding picnic tables, took art classes, joined her local Watercolor guild and started to paint. Susan spent her childhood in Ireland, and has lived in the UK, Sweden and the southwestern United States. She draws inspiration from these regions for her paintings, alongside the rolling hills, prairies and lakeshores of north eastern Illinois, where she now lives.

Susan’s artistic style is evolving away from representational art and towards a looser, more semi-abstract style. She wants to explore new, innovative ways of combining watercolor and other media to capture the mood and feeling of a place in a more abstract realism style, painting landscapes with expressive colors and emotional depth. She has often been told that her art brings joy by everyone who views it. Her long-term goal is to develop a unique body of work to share with the community in a one-person show.

Susan is a member and board member of the Lakes Region Watercolor Guild, and is an artist member of the Antioch Fine Arts Foundation, Antioch, IL. She co-leads the LRWG’s summer Plein Air painting group, now in it’s 3rd year of activity.

Recent Art Shows

2026 LRWG Members Spring Show, April-May, Lorette’s Dragonfly Gallery, Woodstock, IL.

2026 AFAF Members Spring Show, March-May, Antioch Gallery, Antioch, Illinois

2026 AFAF Members Late Winter Show, Jan-March, Antioch Gallery, Antioch, Illinois

2026 Winter Art, Volo Bog fundraiser, Jan-Feb. Volo Bog SNA, Ilgleside, IL

2025 Large Works Invitational Exhibit, Nov-Dec 2025. Antioch Fine Arts Foundation Gallery, Antioch, IL

2025 NSAL Members 101st Anniversary Show. Oct 2025. Northshore Art League, Winnetka.

2025 Art of the Land. Oct. 2025. Art of the Land Show, Starline Gallery, Harvard, IL.

2025 Lakes Region Watercolor Guild Members Fall Show, Oct 2024. Antioch Art Center Gallery, Antioch, IL

2025 Early Summer Member’s Show, Antioch Art Center Gallery, June - July 2025, Antioch, IL

2025 North Shore Art League 4th Annual “Inspired by..” show, April - May 2025, Winnetka, IL

2025 Lakes Region Watercolor Guild Members Spring Show, April 2025, Mainstreet Gallery, Lake Zurich, IL

2025 5th Annual Water! Show, Feb-Mar 2025. North Shore Art League, Winnetka.

2025 Winter Art show at Volo Bog SNA. Jan 2025. A Friends of Volo Bog fundraiser.

2024 Lakes Region Watercolor Guild Members Fall Show, Oct 2024. Antioch Art Center Gallery, Antioch, IL

2024 NSAL Members 100th Anniversary Show.Oct 2024. Northshore Art League, Winnetka.

2024 62nd Annual Wall-to-Wall Juried Exhibit. June 2024. The Hardy Gallery, Ephriam, Door County.

2024 LRWG Members Spring Watercolor Show. May. Judged show. Overland Gallery, Starline, Harvard, IL.

2024 3rd Annual "Inspired by" Show. April 2024. Juried show. North Shore Art League.

2023 Art of the Land. Nov. 2023. The Land Conservancy of McHenry County. Starline Gallery, Harvard, IL.

2023 Lakes Region Watercolor Guild Members Spring Show. June 2023. Judged show. Old Courthouse, Woodstock, IL

2022 Art of the Land. Oct 2022. Juried show. The Land Conservancy of McHenry County. Starline Gallery.

2022. Lakes Region Watercolor Guild Members Fall show, Oct 2022. Judged show. Antioch Art Center Gallery, Antioch, IL.

2022 Art of the Past: Viewing History Through McHenry County Art. Prizewinner, Art Contest and Juried show. McHenry County Historical Society, Union, IL

2022 Raue 6x6 Project June 2022. #216: Winter in the High Desert, NM. Watercolor on canvas. Charity Auction for the Raue Center, Crystal Lake, IL

LRWG Members Show Spring 2022 Judged show. Starline Gallery, Harvard, IL.

2022 41st Annual CLC Student Art Competition Juried show. Wright Art Gallery. College of Lake County.

2021 40th Annual CLC Student Art Competition Juried show. Wright Art Gallery. College of Lake County. Sea from the Air (watercolor) and Untitled (The Wave - acrylic)

2020 39th Annual CLC Student Art Competition Juried show. Wright Art Gallery. College of Lake County, Grayslake, IL.

Contact me to find out how you can have my art in your home!