Sue Tait Porcaro

A professional illustrator for more than 20 years, Susan Tait Porcaro was inspired by Barbara Edidin, another colored pencil artist, to create her own still life in 2000. Her greatest joy is in working with line and multiple layers of brilliant color to create the illusion of three dimensions on a two-dimensional surface. Her medium allows tight control with attention to minute detail, but it is time-consuming, and each painting can take more than a month to complete. The layers of color eventually blend together to create a painterly effect.

Susan selects items for a still life for their reflective qualities or texture. She also chooses objects that have deep emotional significance for her, such as a goblet inherited from a grandmother or a tablecloth received as a gift. She writes, "Even the flowers were given to me to celebrate a special occasion. When the piece is finished, it becomes a sort of biography."

Susan attended the Chamberlayne School of Design and University of Massachusetts at Lowell. She has worked as an art teacher, illustrator, layout artist, and art director.