Discover Delmarva Arts: Suzy Quader

BERLIN, Md. — The marshes, beaches, and waterways of the Eastern Shore are the inspiration behind much of artist Suzy Quader’s work — and she says its soft pastels; their vibrant color and expressive quality, that help her recreate those familiar scenes.

“Pastels is the one thing that I really keep coming back to, and I love it so much, even though I’ve only been doing it for 4-5 years now. . . You can immediately start building luminosity with these brilliant colors,” Quader said.

Before retiring to the Eastern Shore, Quader ran her own faux finishing and mural business. She says the skills and techniques she learned doing large scale artwork will always stick with her. “I learned the skill of tromp l’oei, which is to trick or fool the eye. . . I think a little bit of that always comes back to me even though I’m not aware of it. So, that is something that I think has helped a lot.”

She says since moving to the Eastern Shore, she’s found endless inspiration in the beauty that surrounds her. “My coming here and working on landscapes, seascapes, the ocean, and everything that changes every season, every month, every week is inspiring.”

She’s never shied away from trying something new — a mindset that ultimately led her to discover the medium she now loves most. “As of late, I’ve been adding figures and animals to these landscapes and seascapes because I think it adds a different narrative to it. It makes us a little more curious about what is going on.”

She says that freedom to explore and create in new ways is one of the things she loves most about what she does. “One of the great things about being an artist is you can experiment with anything you want, but pastels are my first love. I think I’ll be sticking with it for a while.”