This post was inspired by my Tuesday's Tale of Sedna; I wanted to say more about the tremendously talented Susan Seddon Boulet.

She was born in Brazil in 1941; her parents were English who had emigrated from South Africa. She grew up on a citrus farm, which was managed by her father who encouraged her to draw. Being a deeply religious young woman, she contemplated becoming a nun. Her father wasn’t having any of that and sent her to finishing school in Switzerland. There, she began training as an artist.

In 1967, while working in the US, she met and married Lawrence Boulet. He encouraged her to pursue her art. They had a son, Eric. Sadly, Lawrence died in 1980 of cancer. With the help of family and friends, she was able to continue as an artist.

Her early work was mainly medieval and fantasy characters, which evolved into a style that featured images of animals layered with goddesses and shamans. She applied colour in layers, working primarily in oil pastels, inks and occasionally pencils. Inspiration came from mythology, animals and the natural world, and spiritual traditions.

According to those who knew her and who had the pleasure of meeting her, she was known for her “empathy, warmth, gentleness, modesty and charm”. Sadly, she died in April 1997, after a long struggle with cancer, aged only 55.

Like I said in my ‘Tuesday’s Tales’ post, the first time I saw her paintings was a calendar I bought in the early 1990s, of Goddesses, and was drawn to her art straightaway. She truly was exceptional in depicting the shamanistic side of beings – it’s almost as if you can see the soul rising from the subject of her paintings.

A very small selection of paintings from an amazingly gifted and beautiful woman …