Photo by: Joshua Bushueff

The fifth of six children, Susan Parmenter grew up in the wooded country side of rural Massachusetts. In the early 1960's her family acquired an old colonial farmhouse built in 1727. Along with it came two hundred acres of working apple orchards and remote forest. The historical house, picturesque landscape and abundant wildlife fueled her imagination and inspired her to draw and paint. She remembers knowing she was an artist at the age of five.

Following this path, Susan received some formal training at Massachusetts College of Art in Boston where she majored in illustration. Several years later, she settled in New Hampshire where she began a freelance illustration career that would last for over twenty years.

Longing for a change, Susan has recently returned
to the world of fine art and plein air painting. She was encouraged by local artist friends to "go out painting together" and found many high quality instructors and workshops in the Vermont and New Hampshire area.

Susan is now painting full time at her studio on the beautiful shores of Lake Sunapee in Sunapee, New Hampshire. Favorite subjects include still life, landscape, figure and wild life. She works in pastels and oil, striving to capture the essence and mood of a subject through good drawing, strong composition and careful rendering of light.