Susan Bull Riley

Whether I am using oils or watercolor, fidelity to the natural world is a constant in all my work. My affection for representing birds and flowers in particular has led to collaborations with institutions where accuracy is valued as highly as beauty; I have paintings in the permanent collections of the New York State Museum and the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology as well as private collections across the country and beyond. I have contributed nine paintings to the 2008 Breeding Birds of New York Atlas, which is being promoted in fine art circles as well as scientific ones, and several of my botanical watercolors can be found in a newly published anthology of the American Chestnut entitled “Mighty Giants.”

My training in art has been on my own, seeking out the wisdom of the painters I admire, whether or not they are still living. My academic training was in music, with an undergraduate degree from Dartmouth College and a masters in Baroque Flute performance from the New England Conservatory of Music. It’s hardly surprising that the music I am most inclined to play draws from both traditional and classical sources, much like the art I most admire.

A note about how these paintings were made: My paintings of flowers and other plants are done strictly from life. Their transience means that I am pressed to work with as few interruptions as possible until the painting is finished–depending on the complexity of the composition, between one day and weeks. All of the flower paintings are executed with close attention to accuracy, and in the case of the watercolors, are done in the tradition of botanical art that goes back hundreds of years and recalls a a time before photography when careful observation and artful representation of plants merged to create an art form that is enjoying a renaissance today.

The landscapes you see here are always begun outside, where I experience my happiest moments as an artist, but completed at leisure in the quiet of my studio.

To see more of Susan’s work, please check her website: www.susanbullriley.com

Products by Susan Bull Riley

The following products include artwork and/or writing by Susan Bull Riley. Most products are a collaboration of the wonderful artists and writers who have contributed to Acorn Designs over the years.

Showing 1–16 of 45 results

American Chestnut Tree Large Journal in Birch for Acorn Designs

American Chestnut Journal

$29.00

American Chestnut (Castanea dentata) The American Chestnut was once an abundant native tree that grew in eastern forests reaching its greatest size in the southern Appalachians. Today, the American Chestnut is known only in memory because young chestnut trees rarely survive long enough to produce flowers and fruits. The American Chestnut was a beautiful tree…

Read More
Select options
American Robin Notecard Acorn Designs

American Robins Notecard

$3.00$24.00

American Robins and Wake Robin (Trillium) The American Robin is a migratory songbird of the true thrush genus. Considered a harbinger of Spring, robins begin their return to northern breeding grounds in February and March. They begin nesting soon afterward producing 2-3 broods per season. Female robins build their nests themselves. The outer foundation consists…

Read More
Select options
Ancient Forest Large Journal in Birch for Acorn Designs

Ancient Forest Journal

$29.00

The majesty of the giant trees draws us into the forest trail dabbled in summer light. We are immediately humbled by the immense size and age of these living beings. Calmness enters our heart and fresh oxygen nourishes our lungs. Soft edges sharpen in deepening shades of green.The majesty of the giant trees draws We…

Read More
Select options
Cover image - Ancient Forest Mini Journal

Ancient Forest Mini Journal

$8.50

Ancient Forest The majesty of the giant trees draw us into the forest trail dappled in summer light. We are immediately humbled by the immense size and age of these living beings. Calmness enters our heart and fresh oxygen nourishes our lungs. Soft edges sharpen in deepening shades of green. We feel an ancient network…

Read More
Add to cart
Cover image - Baltimore Oriole Mini Journal

Baltimore Oriole Mini Journal

$8.50

Baltimore Orioles Baltimore Orioles are spring and summer residents of eastern U.S. open deciduous and riparian areas.  In the fall and winter they migrate to southern portions of the U.S. as well as Central and South America. Their rich, whistling song echoing from high treetops and breathtaking colors herald the return of spring. These orioles…

Read More
Add to cart
Barred Owl Small Journal in Oatmeal for Acorn Designs

Barred Owl Small Journal

$20.00

Barred Owl The Barred Owl is a chunky, round-headed owl whose large, liquid brown eyes and lack of ear tufts distinguish it from other large owls.  It ranges over much of North America east of the Rockies.  Its name derives from the crosswise barring patterns on the breast and lengthwise streaking on the belly.  Barred…

Read More
Select options
Bearded Iris Lokta Card Acorn Designs

Bearded Iris Lokta Card

$5.00$8.00

The bearded iris is one of the oldest cultivated flowers with carvings of this hardy perennial found in Egyptian temples dating back to 1500 BC. Highly valued for its medicinal properties as well as its beauty, the flower could be found from Western Europe to Nepal. In the 1800’s, breeders in France increased the popularity…

Read More
Select options
Bearded Iris Small Journal in Black for Acorn Designs

Bearded Iris Small Journal

$20.00

Bearded Iris   The bearded iris is one of the oldest cultivated flowers with carvings of this hardy perennial found in Egyptian temples dating back to 1500 BC. Highly valued for its medicinal properties as well as its beauty, the flower could be found from Western Europe to Nepal.   In the 1800’s, breeders in…

Read More
Select options
Cover image - Black-capped Chickadee Mini Journal

Black-capped Chickadee Mini Journal

$8.50

Black-capped Chickadee The chickadee is an inquisitive, always-on-the-go little bird that inhabits deciduous and mixed deciduous-coniferous forests. Chickadees flit from branch to branch as they search for their food, primarily insect eggs and larvae; sometimes they hang upside-down, clinging to tiny twigs. They also enjoy seeds of conifers and a variety of wild fruit. They…

Read More
Add to cart
Blue Jays in Snow Notecard Acorn Designs

Blue Jays Notecard

$3.00$24.00

Blue Jays  (Cyanocitta cristata) The blue jay is a rowdy character—dominating bird feeders, raiding the nests of songbirds, and mobbing predators like cats, hawks and owls.  But this noisy, bold medium-sized bird also adds a flash of bright blue color to a cold winter day.  Being in the Corvid family with crows, ravens and magpies,…

Read More
Select options
Cover image - Eastern Bluebird Mini Journal

Eastern Bluebird Mini Journal

$8.50

Easern Bluebird The bluebird’s bright beauty and cheerful song inspire the pure joy of nature. A species of open spaces, bluebirds benefited from both Native American and European settlers who cleared the land for farming. They found nesting cavities in orchards, fence posts, and abandoned woodpecker holes along forest edges. In turn, bluebirds helped farmers…

Read More
Add to cart
Herons Flying Notecard Acorn Designs

Flying Great Blue Herons Notecard

$3.00$24.00

Great Blue Herons These majestic birds are at home in small streams, marshes, or the shores of ponds, lakes or ocean bays.  Great Blue Herons are large (4 feet tall, 6-foot wingspan), common birds that nest across North America from Alaska to Mexico.  Great Blues mate for life.  Nests are usually made in colonies called…

Read More
Select options
Cover image - Grey Squirrel Mini Journal

Grey Squirrel Mini Journal

$8.50

Grey Squirrel The grey squirrel is a prolific and adaptable tree squirrel native to the eastern and Midwestern US and southern portions of Canada. They generally construct their dens upon large tree branches as well as the hollow trunks of trees. They prefer oak-hickory forests as they enjoy acorns and a wide variety of other…

Read More
Add to cart
Juncos in Snow Notecard Acorn Designs

Juncos in Snow Notecard

$3.00$24.00

Dark-eyed Junco (Junco hyemelis) Inhabitants of open woodlands and forest edges, Dark-eyed Juncos are small birds with clean markings and distinctive white outer tail feathers. Juncos are members of the sparrow family, and this species includes several distinctive-looking populations differing mainly in the color and contrast of the head and body plumage. They are all…

Read More
Select options
Juncos in Snow  Notecard

Juncos in Snow Journal

$29.00

Dark-eyed Junco (Junco hyemelis) Inhabitants of open woodlands and forest edges, Dark-eyed Juncos are small birds with clean markings and distinctive white outer tail feathers. Juncos are members of the sparrow family, and this species includes several distinctive-looking populations differing mainly in the color and contrast of the head and body plumage. They are all…

Read More
Select options
Milky Cap Mushrooms Journal

Milky Cap Mushrooms Journal

$29.00

Within the family Russelaceae, the genus Lactarius is named for the milk-like substance that is exuded from the cap when injured. There are a couple hundred species included in this genus. They are a very diverse group; some species will gush copious amounts of “milk” when you slice them and some barely any, some are…

Read More
Select options