Moses Lake woman is Old Hotel Artist of the Month for September

OTHELLO — Moses Lake’s Susan Walpole has been an avid lover of art for as long as she can remember. A self-described doodler, Walpole said as a child she drew on every little edge of paper and continues to do so today.

“I carry a pad with me everywhere I go. If I’m stuck in a line or somewhere, you can bet I am drawing something.”

Her first real endeavor into the art world was painting porcelain dolls, but she has since gravitated toward oil painting and says that is what she enjoys most.

“I’ve been oil painting for about 10 years now and I’m really excited about it. I’ve had a show at the MAC and currently have some of my paintings on display at the Moses Lake Museum, at the Quincy Library, and now here at the Old Hotel.”

Walpole has a penchant for portraits of women, animals and landscape. She is inspired by a couple of world renowned artists who were among the best at their craft.

“I love Thomas Moran. He was a favorite of mine for a long time because he painted landscapes. I started out painting landscapes.”

Moran was born in England in 1837 and became a well-known American painter (water colors) and printmaker of the Hudson River School in New York.

“I’ve also fallen in love with the work of John Singer-Sargent.”

Singer-Sargent (1856-1925), an American artist, was the leading portrait painter of his generation.

“He created roughly 900 oil and more than 2,000 watercolor paintings. I copied one of his paintings — I didn’t think it could do it because he is so loose.”

Walpole says painting can be a time-consuming process and wishes she had more time to devote to her art.

“I don’t have as much as I would like during the day to do it. It’s stuck in between everything else in life, our grandkids and gardening, et cetera.”

Walpole recently took a trip over White Pass and came across a waterfall she’d like to paint, but thinks her next project will be inspired by local landscape.

“I have some ideas for the Sandhill Crane Festival. My son is a geologist and there is a lot of geology to explore in Othello. I’m also fond of the Columbia Gorge.”