Susan Bunce Ritter is a contemporary impressionist oil painter living in both Northwest Ohio and Southwest Florida. A retired educator, she has won numerous awards for her plein air and studio paintings in exhibitions and competitions across the country.
Susan’s paintings are inspired by a wide range of subjects, including colorful alleys, small town street scenes, rocky beaches and structures in older neighborhoods, with the goal of highlighting the charm and appeal of every day life. The effect of light and shadow on subjects is often a reoccurring theme as well as is use of bold color with an impressionistic approach.
Participating in plein air competitions is one of Susan’s favorite artistic pastimes. Recently she has been a selected artist at Shadows-On-The-Teche as well as Paint Grand Traverse and is a two-time Best Of Show winner for the Ohio Plein Air Society Annual Competition. She was awarded Honorable Mention in the American Impressionist Society Associate Online Juried Exhibition and has been featured in Outdoor Painter and Venice Florida Weekly.
RECOGNITIONS /AWARDS: (Recent)
Second Place, Punta Gorda Visual Art Center Quick Draw, Punta Gorda, Florida 2020
Venice Florida Weekly, March 21-27, 2019. Vol. 1, No. 25. "Into Light And History: The Art Of Susan Bunce Ritter"
Award of Excellence: The Ohio Plein Air Society Annual Competition, 2019
First Place, Quick Draw: Fairfield Plein Air Paint Out, Fairfield, Illinois 2019
Best Of Show: Athena Art Society Annual Competition, Toledo, Ohio 2018
Purchase Award and First Place: Fort Wayne Museum, Kekionga Plein Air Paint Out, Fort Wayne, Indiana 2018
All Florida Juried Exhibit: Alliance For The Arts, Ft. Myers, Florida 2018
Meet the Artist
What has plein air painting taught you about yourself? I like to try new locations and ideas for paintings. I learned I wasn’t afraid to stand alone (except for the cows) in the middle of a cow pasture or endure a rainy downtown night for a nocturne.
What is the furthest you have traveled for your art/plein air? New Iberia, Louisiana for Shadows on the Teche Plein Air!
Can you share a fond, or unusual, memory of plein air painting? One of the many pleasures of painting in a neighborhood or on a street corner downtown is having people stop to share the history of a house or area. An innocent looking Ohio bungalow I was painting was, I learned, long ago the small town’s sheriff’s office with the jail in the basement! This story was enlivened by a recounting of an attempted escape where, thankfully, the Sheriff won!! Another unassuming Louisiana cottage was, in 1947, declared the “state capitol for a day” so the visiting reigning governor staying there could make a declaration for his staff to have the day off to protect their families from an imminent hurricane. I was even shown the 75 year old news article on that one. He must have been the town historian!
What is a recent thing that you painted or drew a picture of? I recently painted the Myakka River at Snook Haven in Venice Florida, where we spend our Winters. This is the area where Johnny Weismueller swung thru the trees in the original Tarzan the Ape Man movie,1930’s. Lots of alligators to keep artists company!
What is your favorite plein air subject, location or time of the year to plein air paint? Like many others, I love sunny and warm days for plein air but have learned to adapt to all conditions. I especially enjoy older neighborhoods, homes that have a past, sandy beach scenes, farm country, and unusual storefronts in towns with character!
What is something that looks fun that you want to try? My husband and I keep thinking about a fly-fishing/painting trip to Wyoming.
