About the Artist: Susan Upton took her undergraduate degree in Home Economics at Florida State University and later earned a graduate degree in Art Education from University of South Florida. She has studied under noted Oregon watercolor artists Tom Allen and Judy Morris and local artists Anne Abgott and Ken Snyder. Susan paints watercolors primarily from photos, and watches for contrasts in color and shadow. Her palette is profoundly influenced by vibrant Florida colors, dramatic natural vistas, and French village scenes. She has developed a keen eye for her subject matter that often includes shore birds, sunsets, and other natural settings. She hopes to increase her powers of observation, ability to compose, and to learn how various pigments react to her preference of three-hundred pound Arches paper. Her works have been shown at the Corvallis Art Center in Corvallis, OR, the Longboat Key Center for the Arts, Art Center Manatee, various commercial venues in Oregon and Florida, and the Oregon State Capitol Building, Salem, OR. She has won awards at both the Longboat Key Center for the Arts and the Art Center Manatee. Susan belongs to the Anna Maria Art Guild and the Art Center Manatee in Bradenton and the Longboat Key Center for the Arts.