The Art of Susan

A native North Carolinian, with a richly mixed ancestry, Susan Wells Vaughan was born in Salisbury and moved to the Outer Banks in 1990. She began painting with tempera and newsprint when she was ten and has been involved in art professionally for over twenty years.She studied art at several colleges and universities in North Carolina including UNCG where she received a BA in English. After graduation, she continued her studies as a Commercial Art student at Guilford Technical Community College. Mostly self-taught, Susan's painting style is inspired by Grandma Moses, Georgia O'Keefe, Van Gogh and Grant Wood.Her folky town portraits and her whimsical depictions of Outer Banks scenes have brightened the covers of local publications and one published book. In addition, Susan's work has won numerous awards in local competitions, including two People's Choice awards, two Merit awards, and one Excellence award in the Frank Stick Memorial Art Show and runner-up twice in the local "Beach Book" cover competition. Outer Banks Magazine included her among its 1997-98 featured artists. Her Wright Brothers Memorial painting was featured on the cover of the largest circulating issue of the Virginian Pilot Carolina Coast in December 2003 in honor of the First Flight Centennial celebration, and her "Sunset at Jockey's Ridge" painting enhances the cover of the Spring '07 issue of The North Beach Sun .
Her mediums include acrylic on canvas, watercolor, and pen and ink. Susan has dabbled in amateur photography, quilt-making, cross-stitch design, samplers, jewelry making, and graphic design. She has also fashioned and painted a one-of-kind chair, decorated with unique marbles, which she donated to a local auction.
In addition, she plays the flute on occasion as a pastime.
More about the paintings:Detailed, representational, colorful depictions of southern towns in a series, titled, "The Southern Sampler" and other subjects mostly related to North Carolina life, landscape or history. Originals are painted with acrylic on canvas and reproduced as giclees or lithographs as limited edition, signed/numbered prints. Paintings have won numerous local awards and have been featured in Outer Banks publications and on covers of local brochures and guides.
You can order prints here or you can visit the KDH Cooperative Gallery to see some originals and check out artwork from more Outer Banks locals.
What Susan is working on now: Susan is currently in the process of finishing and publishing a book titled A Game Called Salisbury, documenting two historical lynchings of N.C. and the politics and propaganda perpetuated by white supremacy. She hopes to get back to painting soon.
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