Biography:

Susie Silver is an artist, educator, coach, consultant and speaker. She grew up in a suburb of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and later attended the New York State College of Ceramics within Alfred University in Alfred, New York where she earned her BFA in 2002. While attending Alfred University, she also earned a Minor in Art History and Art Education. Susie has furthered her studies at Studio Arts International in Florence, Italy and Penland School of Crafts in Spruce Pine, North Carolina.

Susie recently ended her tenure as a high school Visual Art teacher after 18 years in the classroom in 2021. She currently works The Director of Client Success for The Diversity Movement in Raleigh. Susie is also CEO and founder of With Pride Consulting, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion leadership consulting company.

Susie’s contemporary artwork is inspired by nature and color (learn more about her process below). In addition to her artistic and educational work, Susie also owns and operates Locally Made Market, facilitates painting workshops for adult learners of all levels and offers 1:1 coaching for creatives. Susie is an active and passionate advocate for LGBTQ rights and conducts her With Pride Ally Sessions for local schools and businesses, as well as, participates in public speaking events to share her story with the community. Susie currently resides in Cary, NC with her wife, and two children.  

Artistic Process:

I eliminate all realistic imagery from my paintings.  My goal is to give my viewers a sense of calm and to offer a moment of escape from our everyday “noise” when they engage with my work. I focus on the manipulation of many different media while immersed in the process of creating. Pieces are actively layered with media such as ink, watercolor and acrylic, and constructed over time through multiple working sessions. The inspiration for my imagery, and for this layering process, comes from the natural movement of liquids, rock formations and aerial views of land and water. I use minimal tools in the process of creating pieces often using my hands, fingers and even my breath to guide mediums around the working surface. Spontaneous and unplanned moments occur in every piece, which is exhilarating and challenging to me.