Sue Side SGFA

Biography 

I live in the glorious Oxfordshire countryside, where people and place continually fascinate and inspire me, and have had a pencil and sketchbook in my hand for as long as I can remember. Recently, I left my role as Head of Art in a local school to focus on my art full time.

I enjoy exploring the human narrative through portraiture. My challenge is to capture that transient, shifting expression of self; that fleeting look that tells an individual’s story. I particularly love to focus in on the finer, subtle details that are often missed. Drawing also brings something less tangible to my work – the fact that it can be easily rubbed out hints at the temporary nature of our existence.

I am also drawn to the stories hidden in our local environment of tree, copse, land and sky. I enjoy watching the slow interaction between trees and the way they settle in the landscape. Using ink techniques, I explore the atmosphere of this environment in all its woody detail, linking tree to sky, creating a sense of slow history. I also aim to capture the movement and character of birds and animals which live in our wooded environments and skies, using both graphite and etching techniques.

I exhibit regularly as a member of The Oxford Art Society, take part in Oxfordshire Artweeks annually and have been selected to exhibit in several national open exhibitions.