By Deirdre Huston

I dropped in on Sue Collins, local printer, designer and workshop tutor, to find out what she has going on this summer and - my goodness - she is certainly busy, and very talented too. A combination of photography and sketching forms the base on which she creates her striking and colourful images. In her unique body of work,

it’s possible to recognise local features and landmarks and yet she portrays each place or animal in an original and memorable manner.

She has recently opened her light-filled new gallery, Scots Pine Studios: an exciting development because it enables her to display a selection of her linocut work including cards, coasters and prints. The gallery earned its name from the giant Scot’s pine tree, a local landmark, at the corner of her garden. This is a prime example of how we can incorporate inspiring outdoor areas into our working life. Being able to work

somewhere so tranquil and uplifting is definitely a perk of being an artist but it’s not all about creative inspiration. There’s a lot of hard graft in being an artist too and it’s clear that Sue works hard to get her work seen through many different platforms. She has recently exhibited at the Horsham Museum & Art Gallery during the Horsham Year of Culture, is a member of numerous art groups and will be participating in the Hassocks Open Artists’ Autumn Fair at Garden Sage. She is also a member of the Chalk Gallery in Lewes, a collective of twenty-one artists, which is unique because they rehang their work every six weeks meaning there is always something new for visitors to see. Sue is brimming over with plans and also intends to use the space next to the gallery as a print room.

[excerpt from Hassocks Life magazine, issue number 4, August 2019