Chickadees in Fir

Susan Bourdet

Wildlife artist Susan Bourdet’s beautiful watercolor creations convey strong sentiment and a true understanding of nature. As a young girl, Susan and her family spent countless weekends hiking and camping in the wilds of Montana. Young Susan was so enamored by the creatures and habitat surrounding her during those outings, she turned to drawing to express herself. By the age of 12 this budding artist’s talents were so apparent, she was enrolled in an adult watercolor class. In college, Bourdet continued to blend her love of nature and art. She received a Bachelor’s degree focusing on both art and biology. The diversity of her education allowed Susan classical training in the fine arts and scientific background on animals and plants. Bourdet’s education, as well as her chosen medium, suit her style perfectly–an intriguing combination of impressionism and realism. Bourdet has mastered the temperamental attributes of watercolor to provide her audiences with a unique perspective on nature. Applying the wet-into-wet technique, Susan uses soft colors and loose brushwork in her backgrounds to set the mood of each painting. Then, she meticulously details her animal and botanical subjects creating a classic composition with depth and movement. Susan states the background in animal and botanical physiology and the research methods she mastered in college have been and continue to be extremely beneficial in the evolution of her style.