The Bhutan Series is a new set of paintings inspired by Susan’s recent trip to Bhutan, the land of Gross National Happiness. Focusing on native vibrant colors, The Bhutan Series explores the region’s landscape, in particular its rare confluence of spirituality and natural beauty.

Once in a while we are treated to something unexpected that reminds us of the power of human creativity and passion. A Personal Path at the Kollegienkirche in Salzburg is one of those rare treats and the announcement of the exhibition’s extension through fully half of the world-famous Salzburg Festival is a magnificent icing on the cake.

Anytime a new gallery opens its doors, an unspoken invitation is issued to whet our palates on the delightful unknown. Beckoning to seasoned art collectors as well as those venturing into the art world for the first time, Modern West Fine Art seeks to further define the landscape of contemporary Western art and perhaps give us a glimpse of the future.

Susan has been painting prolifically and earnestly, compelled by some unseen urge to create. Even as her work has evolved over the past few years from expressionism into something more modern and abstract, she usually structures her paintings with form and color.

Not so with one of her most recent series. Contemplation constitutes a collection of works that allow Susan to find respite from the riotous colors and intentional forms of her other collections.

In addition to her Water Study and Untitled series, Susan has been moving toward abstraction with a third painting series wholly distinct from the others. Now totaling six paintings in all, the Landscape of Resonances series takes the natural world and distills it to its essences: light, heat, form, color.

Susan is an artist who not only sees, but also relishes the contrasts of nature. Perhaps nowhere is this more apparent than in her inspiration itself. For large portions of the year, she paints from her mountaintop studio in Utah, surrounded by the repetitive linear forms of bare aspen trunks and the craggy peaks of the high desert. There’s a sharpness to Susan’s pieces created in the West.

Although it is an early spring in most of the country this year, it is still winter in the mountains of Utah. Inspired by a late January trip to the English countryside, Susan has just completed a series of paintings entitled Winter Hush.

Susan has been painting furiously in preparation for her December 8-11 exhibition at The Carlyle Hotel in New York City, as well as the Art Palm Beach show in early 2012. At the same time Susan’s creating her well-known landscapes, she’s been quietly working away on a separate body of work.