Landscape artist makes a splash at Dartmouth Cultural Center

May 30, 2023

Landscape artist Susan Gilmore finds inspiration from her backyard in Wareham. A glimpse into her reality can be seen at the Dartmouth Cultural Center, 404 Elm St., from now until Monday, June 26.

Gilmore has been an artist “ever since [she] was a little girl.”

Much of her inspiration comes from the ocean, which she enjoys from her backyard or while sailing. Her paintings show that love through saturated, color-blocked depictions of the South Coast.

“I’m not representational at all,” she said. “This is very expressive art. I lie tremendously, I lie constantly. All my colors are pushed, all my shapes are pushed.”

Gilmore has surrounded her life with art. She studied sculpture at the Swain School of Design in New Bedford, where she learned about making art — and discovered that she didn’t like living in the city.

“I’m a real country bumpkin,” she said.

After college, she started her career as a professional artist.

“I managed within a couple years to get a really good job as a graphic designer,” Gilmore said. “I climbed my way to the top and retired as senior art director.”

During her career, she found time to spend in her private studio, painting and sculpting. The paintings she made there are now on the walls of the Dartmouth Cultural Center gallery. 

Gilmore switched from oil paint to acrylic paint, because she minded the smell of the oil paint in her home. The two types of paint, she said, are quite different to work with.

“It dries really quickly and you have to get used to that,” she said of acrylic paint. “It doesn’t smudge as well as oil, and stuff like that.”

Recently, Gilmore has moved away from landscape painting and is “trying to get a little bit more abstract.”

The Dartmouth Cultural Center gallery is open from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday through Saturday. To learn more about Gilmore’s art and career, visit susangilmoreart.com.