SUSAN ABBS

Susan Abbs was born in Singapore and has lived in the UK since 1994. Growing up in the tropics, she was surrounded by intense light and heat - an influence that continues to shape her work.

Her practice explores light, atmosphere, and shifting states, often through landscape and increasingly in more abstracted forms. She is particularly interested in how light moves, reflects, and transforms a surface.

In 2012, she became the first local artist-in-residence at Orleans House Gallery in Twickenham. This led to the Parklife series, inspired by fleeting British summers - brief moments when parks come alive, contrasting the permanence of trees with passing human presence.

Since moving to Cambridge, the expansive skies of the Cambridgeshire landscape have been a continuing source of inspiration, leading to the Skygazing series and a growing focus on light, space, and atmosphere.

Light on the Horizon emerged during the pandemic, created in the shadow of a personal cancer diagnosis. These works reflect light, hope, and resilience in a time of uncertainty.

Her latest series, Breaking Through, continues this exploration. Painted on metal, these works engage with light and reflection, introducing a subtle sense of movement and change.

Susan’s work is held in private collections in the UK and internationally. She has exhibited widely, including at Mall Galleries, Bankside Gallery, and Cambridge Contemporary Art. Her work is also featured in the Cambridge Art Book.

Alongside her studio practice, she teaches art in Cambridge and leads life drawing at Hills Road Sixth Form College. She is the founder of the annual Nightingale Art Fair and President of the Cambridge Drawing Society.