Sue Wirdnam

Having grown up in a family with amateur artists and a great uncle who was a professional artist, a few of whose paintings hung on our walls at home, I developed a love of art and art history visiting many major art galleries and exhibitions over the years. I have had an enduring love of the Impressionists since my school days, especially Van Gogh and Monet, reinforced by visiting Amsterdam and Paris.

Despite having gone down the science route at school and at teacher training college I always enjoyed art but it was not until the 1980s that I went to Adult Education drawing and painting courses before returning to work after having a family.

It was then not until retirement that I took up art again and attended a variety of local art courses and a U3A art group before joining the Broadstone Art Society a few years ago.

I am most inspired by the natural world, not only through living in Dorset, but by regularly visiting the Lake District and Wales and the homes and galleries of artists that these landscapes have produced. I greatly admire the work of John Ruskin and local artists like the Heaton Coopers in the Lakes and Rob Piercy in North Wales.

I have tried a variety of different media but enjoy pencil, charcoal and pastel and have recently had a go at several printing techniques including collagraphs and linocuts. I am also trying to develop my acrylic techniques.