About
Contact: sdtrott@yahoo.com
Susan Trott is an artist local to Charleston 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 during turbulent political times and later graduated from Winthrop College in South Carolina. She came to Charleston to take a job as a teacher while keeping a hand in art as much as possible. Her husband, a native Charlestonian and ardent preservationist sparked her interest in historic buildings. 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. The culmination of years of drawing and painting resulted in a show, “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 different 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 shapes and straight lines that resulted in a successful body of collage work on paper. This technique reminded her of piecing quilts, an art form that was part of her own artistic legacy. Her current intention is to apply elements of this practice to painting for a more expressive and contemporary style that is still representative of Charleston, her favorite subject matter.
Her art is available at local galleries and online at the Charleston Artist Collective website.
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, Charleston, SC
Available Work: