Bio
The coastal landscape and sea creatures inspire Susan’s artwork, as do photos taken during her travels. In addition to teaching oil, acrylic, encaustic painting, and sculpture classes, Susan conducts lectures at the Cameron Art Museum and serves on the Board of Directors for the Carolina Beach Mural Project and the Pleasure Island Arts Council. Susan has won numerous awards regionally and nationally, and her paintings are in public and private collections worldwide.
Susan was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, where she grew up spending family vacations camping and exploring the western half of the United States. This inspired her love for the beauty of nature and the outdoors, which would greatly influence her art.
As a young girl, her grandfather went blind, and she began making heavily textured artwork so he could use his sense of touch to see what she created. Years later, when Susan was painting murals and looking for more dimension, she developed her own medium and has used this self-created art form for over 20 years.
Susan Nuttall
Fine artist, sculptor, and muralist based in Carolina Beach, North Carolina.
Susan's process of creating textured paintings and encaustics begins by working with her photos and sketchbook. Once she finalizes the design for the painting, she starts by layering the textured medium on a premade art board with an artist’s trowel or spatula, often creating many layers to achieve her desired background texture. Susan then adds detail to the background with layers of hand-sculpted elements, followed by an overlay process of her own oil glazes and many layers of oils, varnishes, and hot wax encaustics. Once this layering process has achieved the desired depth, she finishes each painting with intricate oil details. The evolution of this creative process has helped Susan further develop her artistic style while fulfilling her love of working with heavy textures.
Press
Texture Relief: Susan Nuttall’s intentional three-dimensional art.
August 2022, Wrightsville Beach Magazine
Six students with blow torches is a pretty cool sight. “That seems to be my popular class,” laughs Susan Nuttall.
Nuttall is an award-winning artist whose work is on exhibit in galleries across the U.S. and at Wilmington’s Gallery of Fine Art. Her class on texture relief in her Carolina Beach studio involves an encaustic overlay painted not with brushes but rather blow torches.
Artist Interview: Susan Nuttall
June 2022, Cameron Art Museum
The Town of Carolina Beach unveils first mural
March 2021, WECT
“I’m so proud of this town and all the volunteers that came out and really put their mark on it. And, I think it’s going to be here for a long time and I would love if some of the children that worked on it will bring their children here to see it,” said Nuttall.
4 Items for Your August To-Do List
July 2021, Our State Magazine
Eat, watch, experience, and celebrate what North Carolina has to offer this month.
Paint the Town: Carolina Beach's buildings get decked out
January 2021, Wilma Mag
SUSAN NUTTALL’s Welcome to Carolina Beach recently debuted on the side of Carolina Beach’s town hall (1121 North Lake Park Boulevard).
Museum Representation
Art Exhibit
Contemporary Art Museum of Raleigh, Raleigh, NC 2022
Art Exhibit: Gnomes
Airlie Gardens, Wilmington, NC
Permanent Display
Museum of Encaustic Art, Santa Fe, NM
Art Exhibit
Cameron Art Museum, Wilmington, NC
The Art of Southern Music
Belk Museum, Charlotte, NC
Art Exhibit
Gaston Museum, Dallas, NC
Galleries
Encaustic Art Institute Gallery
632 Agua Fria Street, Santa Fe, NM 875015
Atrium Art Gallery
61 Queens Street, Charleston, SC
843-973-3300
atriumartgallery.com
Gallery Of Fine Art
964 Inspiration Drive, Wilmington NC 28405
910-239-9199
galleryoffineartnc.com
Tip Top Frame - Local Art - Gifts
1401 Lake Park Blvd., Carolina Beach, NC 28428
Cape Fear Winery / Spa Gallery
195 Vineyard Dr., Elizabethtown, NC 28337
844-846-3386
St. James Martina
2571 St. James Drive, Unit 102B
Southport, NC 28461
910-253-0436
Awards
Sunset vision show / Honorable Mention , Sunset beach NC 2023
The Wildlife Artists of the Carolinas, Inc. - In the Wild Art Show, Willington NC 2023 - Honorable Mention
Art, Nature and Science Exhibit / 30 x 30 show, Durhan NC 2023
CAM Raleigh / Contemporary Art Museum, Raleigh NC 2022
Bosque Arts Center / Summer Show, Clifton, TX 2020
CAM Raleigh / Contemporary Art Museum, Raleigh NC 2019
Solo Show - Coffee & Thompson Gallery, Charlotte, NC
National Juried Encaustic / Wax Exhibition, Santa Fe, NM
Solo Exhibit - C.H. Exhibitions Series, Chapel Hill, NC
ALL Things Birds & Beautiful, Eastsound, WA *1st place
Bank of the Arts Juried Exhibition - Craven Arts Council & Gallery, New Bern NC.
“I am Woman” Juried show, The Next Picture Show Gallery, Dixion, IL *2nd place
Southern Appalachian Guild National, Juried Show, Blue Ridge, GA *3rd place
Moja Arts Festival, Juried Show, Charleston, SC *Honorable Mention Oil