Honoring the Artist: Susan D'Alessio

In the catalog for the current exhibition, Plein Air Peconic 11, our cover artist Susan D'Alessio looks right at home in the fields, her paints and umbrella looking as if they also belong there. The photographs of her paintings, "Clam Island" and "Rhubarb Fields at Latham Farm, similarly evoke feelings of familiarity and comfort.

Q: You are among a group of artists who paint on the site of Peconic Land Trust properties. The cover, in fact, features a Trust co-op farm,Quail Hill. How did you get started being a Plein Air artist?

A: I've done it for years. I started painting outdoors here with my mother although we lived up island; my grandmother lived in Hampton Bays so we would come and see her beginning when I was eight years old. I remember particularly visiting someone on Gerard Drive in The Springs and painting Northwest Harbor. Those were wonderful memories.

Q: What's the experience like painting outdoors in terms of professional considerations?

A: Painting outdoors is an advantage because you can see the colors, and you can really get into the mood of a place, weather permitting. I can usually paint for four hours, except in the winter. If it's at least 52 degrees out, I can comfortably stay for two hours. I usually go for two or three days in a row, hoping to get the main light on the first day and then sometimes going back to finish up. Sometimes I'll go back to the site six months later to finish a work.

Q: How is it to paint on site, logistically-speaking?

A: I don't like to sit in the middle of the road to paint, so I try and find a driveway where I can set my things up. Many times I make friends with the property owners. A few times they've ended up buying the painting. As far as weather conditions, there are times that it's windy, and my canvas will fly off the easel and get dirt on it.

Q: Although you paint by yourself a lot, how is it painting with your Peconic Land Trust group?

A: I feel safer, more relaxed. It's also nice to talk with my fellow artists while I'm painting. One possible disadvantage is when I see how other artists have set something up, and I say to myself, "I should have done that," but, nonetheless, I never change anything.

Q: You mentioned you've been painting full-time for about three years. Before that, you led a varied life.

A: Yes, I was a textile designer for 25 years for firms like Liz Claiborne, traveling to places like Paris and Milan. I also was an art teacher in New Jersey; I majored in art education in college.

Q: How did the experience in textiles help you as an artist?

A: It allowed my color sense to be fine - tuned, and it gave me sense of balance.

Q: You really enjoy being an artist, that's obvious. But it goes beyond enjoyment.

A: Yes. Art is something you can do for life. I hope to be painting until I'm 92 years old and having my assistant carry my easel wherever I want to go.

- Marion Wolberg Weiss

Ms. D'Alessio's work will be on view at East Hampton's Wallace Gallery until Nov. 3. Call 631-329-4517. Ms. D'Alessio's website is: www.susand'alessio.com

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