About

Susan Trott is a local artist who maintains a studio on James Island. She enjoys painting the urban landscape, gardens, figures and still life objects from her vintage collections. She attended Virginia Commonwealth University School of Art in Richmond, during turbulent political times and later graduated from Winthrop College in South Carolina, coming to Charleston to take a job as a teacher. At that time the downtown area was in decline and she became especially fascinated by the commercial district, particularly upper King Street with its faded, peeling paint, rusty signage and elegant but unrestored storefronts. Keeping a hand in art over the years, after retirement she created a show of paintings, “Closed for Business,” at the Saul Alexander Gallery, featuring many iconic buildings, some no longer standing.

A lifelong student, collector, and lover of art, she tried many methods including plein air painting, mixed media, watercolor and pastel. In an effort to find a more contemporary direction she went to the Cullowhee Arts summer program at WCU in North Carolina to study with several outstanding abstract and figurative artists. She learned an improvisational collage technique using painted paper strips and straight lines that resulted in a successful body of collage work. Her current interest and intention is to apply elements of this technique to painting for a more expressive style that is still inspired by her Lowcountry surroundings.

Her art is available at the Charleston Artist Collective Gallery in Mt. Pleasant, and on their website.

https://charleston.artistcollectives.org/

Shows

2025

Charleston Artist Collective 15th Anniversary Show, Nov. 10 -12, Charleston Library Society, Charleston, SC

“Prequel,” juried show, Redux Contemporary Art Center, Sept. 19. Charleston, SC

Port Royal Plein Air Invitational, Oct. 10-12, Port Royal, SC

2024

“Preservation Through Art,” award Best Modern Interpretation, July 19 - Sept. 8, City Gallery, Charleston, SC

“Art in the Stacks,” group show Charleston Artist Collective, Charleston Library Society, Charleston, SC

2023

South Carolina Watermedia Society, Spring Digital Show, award 3rd place

Piccolo Spoleto juried show at the City Gallery, Charleston, SC

2022

“Closed for Business,” one person show, Saul Alexander Gallery, Charleston, SC

2019

SCWS, juried show, Gately Gallery, Florence, SC

2015

“Close to Home” 3 person show at the Real Estate Studio, King St . Charleston