Meet the amazing Sue Pyper and her work-n-progress!

Sue Pyper ~ Artist & Musician

When you see the work of artist Sue Pyper from a distance, you are in awe of the beauty, the flow, and the sheer magnificence with which she portrays her subject matter. Then you step closer … and closer and closer and see that her work is made up of tiny little dots. Millions and millions of them!

Sue uses a technique called Pointillism. The dictionary definition which is:  a technique of neo-impressionist painting using tiny dots of various pure colours, which become blended in the viewer's eye. It was developed by Seurat with the aim of producing a greater degree of luminosity and brilliance of colour. It is a technique that takes hundreds of hours, but for Sue, it is also feels like a form of meditation.

“The tiny dots actually let the natural wood to show through” Sue says. “Instead of the art being just on the wood, it seems to emerge from it.”

Sue creates stunning pieces like her latest (still in process) the Elephant 6.5’ x 32”, on the backdrop of wood from old trees that have fallen or had to be taken down because of the dangers associated with age. Not only does this give an old tree a new and enduring story, it is the sort of sustainability that is very important to Sue. They also offer amazing texture to her pieces, which she knows exactly how to work with in the most stunning ways. 

Ahhh, the Elephant … Sue says she can hear people asking her, “why an elephant?” Simple, she is drawn to the sculptural forms of animals, like the elephant or her sea lion. “They seem to lend themselves so well to the art of pointillism” she says.

If you would like to hear Sue talk about her process a little bit, she has made a wee video to answer some of the questions she gets about her work here:  and there are others that show time-lapse of the process of her work.

Yes, she is a talented video maker and musician as well, and I highly recommend taking the time to poke around her website and check her YouTube channel, you won’t be disappointed, Sue is as engaging as her work.

Follow Sue on Instagram, Facebook and to see art process videos visit her YouTube Channel

~sarah j clark
conductor of comings and goings