Sue McCarthy
My name is Susan McCarthy and I am an artist living in Beaufort, South Carolina after having lived for the past 40 years in Northern New England.
My husband Bill and I moved to New Hampshire in the spring of 1973 after purchasing a huge old Inn in beautiful Tamworth Village. The purchase of the Inn was a very spur of the moment and life changing event. Born in Philadelphia and raised in the western suburbs of that city we knew little of Inn keeping and less of running a business in the weather sensitive area of the country known as northern New England. However we were determined to create a different life for our selves and our two sons and Tamworth was a perfect place to do it.
It was also for me very fortunate since I met and became good friends with one of New Hampshire's premier artists, Barbara "Willey" Fromm. She was a teacher and mentor to me and I studied and painted with her for many years.
Barbara worked in oils and I was also painting in oils at the time, but felt that I could not obtain the realism I wanted and was fortunate to take classes with another well-known artist, Ernie Brown. From Ernie I learned a method of using acrylics on 300 lb cold press watercolor paper glued to gessoed masonite. Using this technique I painted professionally for 3-4 years in the early 1980's and was represented by galleries in the region, winning some awards along the way.
Then life became more complicated, we opened some restaurants and had grandchildren, the painting would have to wait. In the spring of 2011 we retired to Beaufort and I was able to resume painting. I still paint in acrylics on masonite or canvas and I am continually inspired by the beauty of the Low Country Sea Islands and skies.
Since writing this bio, I have resumed painting in oils. I have found that the depth of color needed for painting in the low country of South Carolina can better be achieved by painting with oils. You be the judge.