A rose is a rose. In artist Susan Langford's world a rose becomes a beautiful canvas that brings a new appreciation of the color and brilliance that nature offers us. Her acrylic paintings are bursting with color. One is reminded of work of Georgia O'Keefe. You might say Georgia O'Keefe gone southern. Somehow Langford is able to capture the fragile beauty of a flower at its peak.

So where did it all begin? Susan will tell you that she was inspired by a painting that was painted by her great grandfather and hung in her grandparent's home. Her great grandfather was an artist who emigrated from England to the United States and settled in Buffalo, New York prior to the civil war. He was prolific and was know for his scenic backdrops painted for stage productions. The painting she remembers from her childhood has a place of honor in her Amelia Island home. The painting is an outdoor scene full of intimate detail. It is reminiscent of the Hudson School with its finely detailed landscapes. Even more detail emerged when the painting was recently cleaned revealing elegant brush strokes and figures as small as a pin head.

Susan Langford poses with some of her most recent paintings.
____________________________________________

Langford says she has always painted and is largely self-taught. She recalls some design classes while attending Syracuse University. Her career as a graphic artist has given her skills that contribute to her attention to detail. Smiling at her husband she recalls the gift he gave her for an 8-week course with Allison Watson, a Jacksonville artist and teacher. She began with landscapes and gravitated to the distinctive paintings of flowers that are now her signature. "She was a major influence and taught me the importance of getting the canvas covered with paint before getting side tracked with the details."

Her first flower painting was inspired by a photo that her husband took. The couple shares a passion for gardening and their Amelia Island garden is full of colorful flowers - azaleas, hibiscus, irises and impatiens. "I knew when I saw the picture of the azalea that I wanted to try to paint close-ups of flowers and the Red Azalea was my first flower painting", Langford shared. Both Langford and her husband are talented photographers and their pictures are works of art in their own right.

The paintings shown above are just two of the many pieces of art that  
Susan Langford has on display at Horizons restaurant located in Palmetto Walk.
______________________________________________

Answering the inevitable question of how they came to Amelia Island, Langford smiled. "I came to help a friend find a house. She found a house and I called home to tell my husband I knew where we should live." That was 1997. Moving to Amelia Island has been a dream come true for the couple. Their home is full of beautiful antiques and an eclectic collection of art including paintings by Langford's great grandfather.

She prefers acrylics instead of watercolors because she finds them more forgiving and easier to work with. In watercolor it is difficult to alter an image once it is on paper while acrylics allow for change. John Tassey, a well respected regional artist is a fan of Susan's work and has encouraged and finds "her composition, brush work detail and color are first rate."

One of her most recent paintings is entitled "Raindrop Rose" and was inspired by the reflections that caught her attention in the droplets of water that were sparkling in the sunlight after a rain shower.The painting was accepted for the Nouveau Art Show at the Island Art Association, and received an honorable mention award. The show opened August 1st and runs through to September 27th. Two other paintings have been accepted in past shows.

Her work is on display at Horizons restaurant. When the restaurants owner, Courtney Thompson first opened her eatery she was seeking distinctive artwork to decorate the cottage restaurant located at Palmetto Walk. So artist met restaurateur and Langford's bright oversize flowers found a perfect setting. 

As a young artist, Susan was inspired by this and many other 
paintings done by her great-grandfather.
_____________________

In addition, her work is on display at Susi Sax's on Centre Street and the Island Art Association.

The couple also has a business, Langford Antiques. Maynard Langford has been a full time antique dealer since 1970, and Susan has helped in the business for the past 16 years.

Susan Langford and her husband, Maynard, have found a wonderful place for her enormous talent to grow.

To see more of Susan's work, visit her webstite at www.Susanlangfordart.com.