Susan Isaac works mostly in oils in a loose figurative style which occasionally dissolves into the abstract elements of her compositions. Her subjects are mainly town and seascapes. She loves the insistent repetitive textures of the built environment contrasting with the gentle rhythms of nature.
A Cardiff born artist, Susan is now based in Nottinghamshire. Originally trained in fine art she chose to develop her interest in the history of art and design and worked for several years as an illustrator of the archaeology of industry before returning in the late 1990s to concentrate on painting and sculpture.
Her work endeavours to capture the spirit of things or places she has known, seeking to illuminate some aspect of the world that has captured her imagination - to evoke feeling. The placing of compositional elements is fundamental; she seeks a perspective that projects outward as if to engulf the viewer - wanting you to feel tipped into the painted surface.
Aspects of Susan's paintings reflect a background and continuing interest in sculpture. Many of her works are effectively 'sculpted paintings', where she builds up a strong relief element using materials that give a sense of immediacy to the images
Susan’s work has won several awards: The Attenborough Prize twice (2024 & 2022), National Trust Judges Award in Paint Out Norfolk (2022), Winner of the Thoresby Open (2017, 2015 & 2011), 1st prize in the D31 Art Gallery “Our Changing World” exhibition (2021) and Shortlisted for the Sir John Hurt Art Prize (2022, 2020, 2019 & 2017). Susan was also a finalist in series 10 of Sky TV’s ‘Landscape Artist of the Year’ (broadcast in 2025) and was previously a shortlisted ‘pod’ contestant in series 7 (in 2022) and a 'wildcard' winner in series 6 (in 2021).
