Susan Sward: Susan is a Rhode Island- based painter whose work reflects the quiet beauty of coastal landscapes and the natural world. Inspired by marshes, open skies, and the shifting light of the Atlantic shoreline, she creates atmospheric paintings that invite stillness and contemplation. Alongside these landscapes, she produces detailed studies of birds, grounded in close and sustained observation. Sward studied biology at Marquette University before earning a BFA in Studio Art from Rhode Island College. Her background in natural science continues to inform her work, including field studies for the Audubon Society's Breeding Bird Atlas. She is a member of the Guild of Natural Science Illustrators. Whether working in expansive, light-filled landscapes or more intimate studies of wildlife, her paintings are unified by a sensitivity to atmosphere, careful observation, and a deep attention to subtle shifts in color and light. She lives and works near the Rhode Island coast, where daily encounters birds, shoreline, and sky continue to shape her visual language.