Today we’d like to introduce you to Susanna B Long.
Hi Susanna B, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Born and raised between the distinct landscapes of Denmark and Spain, my journey to becoming an artist has been anything but linear. After graduating from the Copenhagen Business School, I spent a significant chapter of my career working at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Southern California. While my professional life was rooted in business and space exploration, I carried a quiet obsession with painting long before I ever picked up a brush.
When retirement finally brought the luxury of time, my lifelong motivation won. I began exploring the canvas, finding that painting offered a profound sense of peace in a busy, stressful world. My artistic voice is deeply shaped by the diverse environments I have called home—from the coastal light of Southern California and Sarasota, Florida, to the serene waters of Lake Oconee, Georgia, and now the rolling hills of Middle Tennessee. Today, I live and work between Thompson’s Station, Tennessee (just south of Franklin) and Lake Oconee, channeling the colors, textures, and rhythms of surrounding nature into my abstract art.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Life is beautifully complex, and mine has included the universal challenges of balancing a demanding career, raising children, and navigating the emotional shifts of divorce and remarriage. In a world that often feels busy and fragmented, turning to painting as a true expression of creativity has been a profound, emotionally rewarding anchor. Art didn’t just give me an outlet; it gave me a space to transform life’s beautiful chaos into quiet, peaceful focus.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I abstract nature into calming, peaceful art for modern interiors. For me, painting abstract is a journey of deep self-exploration—a world where freedom of expression has no boundaries. Guided by a pursuit of peace, curiosity, and aesthetic balance, I view color as a limitless landscape where anything is possible.
The hours spent in front of my canvases are a form of pure immersion where time ceases to exist and my emotions are fully engaged. It is a kind of freedom I never allowed myself in my previous career. This intuitive process challenges me to continuously push the boundaries of texture and color until my eyes are saturated and my soul is at ease. Ultimately, it is my hope that my art inspires that same sense of restorative peace within the viewer. My original paintings are available for purchase to collectors and interior design professionals seeking to bring a serene, natural atmosphere into their spaces.
So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
What matters most to me is the emotional truth of the creative process. Painting is my therapy; the solitude of the studio brings me a deep, grounding sense of peace. However, that peace doesn’t come without a struggle. There is an inherent agony when a painting gets stuck and I am fighting to figure out the next step.
Moving through that resistance is what makes the final breakthrough so powerful. The ultimate reward is the wave of happiness and excitement that comes when a canvas is finally complete. Knowing that a piece has reached its perfect aesthetic balance and is truly ready to be hung on a wall and shared with the world is what keeps me returning to the studio.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/SusannaBLong
