Artist Biographies

SUSAN WHEELER (1959 - )

Susan Wheeler's delightful paintings depicting the dwellings and secret lives of the animal kingdom are inspired by her attention to rural Victorian England with its quaint architecture and simpler, slower, more romantic pace of life. She renders this domain in exquisite detail, encouraging the viewer to enter an imaginary realm in which families of animals share moments at home, invite neighbors to tea, celebrate holidays and engage in a gentle and complete society.

Born in Texas, Wheeler moved to New England with her family at a very young age and, as an only child, spent much of her time fascinated by, drawing and painting the small animals which inhabited the woods near her home. The first artist to directly influence the self-taught Wheeler was children's illustrator Beatrix Potter and her work is reminiscent of that early influence. However, Wheeler's work differs from her mentor's in that each image is complete, a segment of a larger story which the viewer is encouraged to envision rather than as a complement to an accompanying text.

Living in Texas again with her own family including her four children, Wheeler continues to illustrate the domain which first inspired her as a child, still envisioning life in the English countryside of her dreams.

Copyright (c) 1997 Bruce McGaw Graphics. All rights reserved.