Sue Moffitt was born near Corbridge, Northumberland and grew up on a large dairy farm. Her family have been farming for generations, originating from Hunday Farm, near Workington, Cumbria. She previously worked in HR managerial roles before turning full-time to oil painting. She established her business within the family-run company, The National Countryside. Sue founded the award-wining gallery, Westside Contemporary Ltd in 2003.
Sue’s work has been exhibited in many venues throughout the North East, Cumbria and Lancashire. The demand for her unique style of cow portraits spread to all parts of the UK and internationally. Her work has included installation and video, but it is paint and her love of animals that draws her most. The strong bond with dairy farming is so rooted in her psyche that she has continued to paint cows for the last 20 years.
About the art
‘If a man does not live in harmony with the land and the natural rhythms of our World, we will not endure.’
-Wendell Berry, The Pleasures of Eating
The natural world and animals in particular have always held a fascination for me; animal-human communication is something I feel is an innate part of my being. As a child, animals in general played a huge role in my life; surrounded by the rural ‘idyll’ I spent my days in nature. Since then, I’ve been drawn to something in animals which has inspired me to paint them. Recently, I’ve started to develop some human portraits, using the instincts I have with animals to develop a style in portraiture.
Lockdown has not been a prolific time for me; however, as I begin the process of making art again, I find myself exploring new ideas and thoughts. The paintings in this exhibition are the smallest works I have ever produced using oil on paper. Their expressions appear to be oblivious to our own angst at this time.
