Susie Bettenhausen

When it comes to art and design, I try to set the rules aside and push the boundaries. As a result, I have no guidelines to adhere to and no fences around my creativity. Although I relate most to Abstract Expressionism, I often call upon my early illustrative sketching days of a more whimsical nature. I am drawn to color but also need vast amounts of white space and I'm forever playing with the balance between the two. I find the most beauty in the simplest forms. My work has been described as a calm amidst chaos and I would happily agree with that. I'm coastal + southern and I always find inspiration back home. Even after experiencing various cultures abroad and living across the pond, I am forever haunted by the Gulf Coastal South. I was raised in Alabama, educated in Texas and currently reside in Florida. The culture and soul in the South feeds the imagination like nowhere else for me. Geography, water and wide open horizons make their way into my work time and time again. I attended Baylor University where I graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree and followed it up with a second degree from the University of Texas in Arlington. I began painting over 25 years ago and have enjoyed every step of the growth process along the way. Working out of both the 30A area along the Florida Gulf Coast and down south in Palm Beach County is an absolute dream and an endless source of inspiration. You’ll almost always find me somewhere in Florida... roaming through the Florida Keys, painting in my studio/gallery in Grayton Beach or somewhere in between with my husband, Keith, two boys, Wyatt and Wells, and a Labrador Retriever named Blue.