Susan Larson is a Colorado artist who captures the visual qualities of a subject in vibrant color in her work. She paints a variety of subjects, including landscapes, water scenes, aspen, wildlife, big cats, birds, owls, waterfowl, horses, pets, flowers, people enjoying the outdoors, barns and trains. Her paintings are created from her own photography or on location. Susan uses soft pastel, acrylic watercolor, gouache watercolor, pen and ink, and mixed media on a variety of papers, pastel boards, and canvas panels. She expresses to the viewer what drew her to paint a particular subject, such as the play of light, color qualities of a scene, interesting shapes and shadows, or a memorable experience captured in time. Susan’s work has been selected for international, national, state, regional, and local shows by jurors representing the following organizations (multiple years in a row in many instances): Pastel Society of Colorado, Women Artists of the West, Douglas Land Conservancy (Invitational Plein Air), Western Federation of Watercolor Societies, Rocky Mountain National Watermedia, Colorado Watercolor Society, Pikes Peak Watercolor Society, Wyoming Watercolor Society, Curtis Arts and Humanities Center in Greenwood Village, City of Lone Tree, Colorado Springs Art Guild, Roxborough Arts Council, Business of Art Center in Manitou Springs, and Tri-Lakes Center for the Arts in Palmer Lake.
Susan's paintings have shown at these locations in Colorado and in the western United States: in Boulder at Mary Williams Fine Arts; in Denver at the Curtis Arts and Humanities Center in Greenwood Village, Denver Public Library, Madden Museum of Art, Colorado History Museum, Denver Botanic Gardens, and Co-Art Gallery in the Santa Fe Arts District;in Castle Rockat the White Pavilion; in Colorado Springs at the Cottonwood Center for the Arts, Pikes Peak Center, Pioneers Museum, and Colorado Springs Airport; in Estes Park at the Cultural Arts Center Gallery; in Evergreen at the Evergreen Art Center; in Golden at the Foothills Art Center; in Greeley at the Michener Library at the University of Northern Colorado; in Littleton at the Littleton Museum; in Lone Tree at the Lone Tree Arts Center; in Manitou Springs at the Business of Art Center; in Monument at Bella Art and Frame; in Palmer Lake at the Tri-Lakes Center for the Arts; in Phoenix, Arizona, at the Fountain Hills Community Center; in San Diego, California, at the Olaf Wieghorst Museum; in Sheridan, Wyoming, at the Davis Gallery and the SAGE Gallery; and in Tucson, Arizona, at the Tucson Desert Art Museum.
Susan painting at Sandstone Ranch, purchased by the Douglas Land Conservancy in 2018.