July Artist of the Month
Meet Lucy Sur
Lucy Sur grew up in Wellesley Hills and took art classes at Dana Hall and Bradford Junior College. She then went to UNH, where she majored in history and her practice of art was on the back burner until many years later. After graduating she worked for Kendall Company in packaging sales for 20 years, first in Boston and then in the New York City area. “I wasn’t creating any art, but I had easy access to all the museums in New York and I have always loved botanical art.”
Sur, who met her husband Steve during the Blizzard of 78, married and together they raised 2 sons in their lovely South Natick home surrounded by beautiful gardens. Sur got her teaching certificate when her children were growing up and taught preschool, as well as running a small summer day camp at her house.
When her boys left for college, Sur was ready for a new venture. The call to botanical art was still strong and she began studying with Friends of Wellesley College Botanic Gardens where she earned her certificate in Botanical Art and Illustration. “Learning to really look at my subjects with a far more observant eye is critical to the integrity of my artwork, and I continue to work on that skill.” She explains that in botanical art “the scientific principles must be correct.” She often shows her subjects in “various stages of their growing cycle; seeds, nuts, buds and leaves all capture what the particular plant is ‘about.’ And then the challenge is to make a beautiful piece of art by capturing the light and shadow, finding the right color mixes, and making an interesting composition.”
She continues to grow her art by participating in many workshops and has been inspired by scenes throughout New England and Hawaii, where her husband is grew up. “I’ve been fortunate to study with Elaine Searle and Anne-Marie Evans of France, Martin Allen of England, Denise Walser-Kohlar (vellum techniques), Carrie Meghan (graphite), as well as many others.” She is affiliated with both the American and the New England Societies of Botanical Artists, Friends of Wellesley College Botanical Gardens, Yarmouth Art Guild, Chatham Creative Arts Center, the Wellesley Society of Artists and the Wellesley Garden Study Group. Lucy immensely enjoys regular painting with a small group of fellow artists from early class days in the Wellesley certificate program. They call themselves “The Botanical Gourmets” and enjoy painting together, critiquing each other’s work…and savoring wonderful potluck lunches. She has participated in many shows with other NESBA artists as well as solo shows, including one at Heritage Gardens and Museum in Sandwich. She has sold both her watercolor and her acrylic and oil paintings to various buyers throughout the United States.
Sur’s botanical work often begins outside, where she does make sure to take photographs, then brings the specimen inside to achieve the lighting that is necessary for this intricate work. She starts with a basic line drawing, then a tonal drawing which she transfers to watercolor paper using a lightbox, then spends several weeks layering watercolor. Sur has also expanded her painting explorations to include acrylic and oil painting and she works much differently with these mediums; “I try to loosen up and focus more on the bigger picture and blocks of color in the composition to create a mood. I particularly like painting clouds and skies, trying to capture weather and a time of day.” She is able to switch gears but “not easily, it takes about a week to deescalate.” Her next goal is to modernize her botanical art and create larger pieces. “The shadows on a flower, the curve of a leaf, the twining of a vine all present opportunities to paint the forms and details of each subject, each with their own special beauty.”
