Dan's Cover Artist Susan Pear Meisel Paints Parrish for 125th Anniversary

This week’s cover art is a celebration of the Parrish Art Museum’s 125th anniversary, featuring the art of Susan Pear Meisel. The artist has been painting for more than 50 years, creating colorful commissions of iconic landmarks such as the Smithsonian Castle, Library of Congress and the Philadelphia Museum. Here, she discusses creating the Parrish poster, her iconic art style and her published books.

A Conversation with Susan Pear Meisel

How did this exciting Parrish Art Museum commission come about, and what sort of direction did the Parrish team give you to capture their vision?

I am friendly with Mónica (Ramírez-Montagut) the director. When visiting our house, she saw a number of my paintings, including the Library of Congress, and the Philadelphia Museum on my easel last year. She asked me if I would like to make a painting of the Parrish for the 125th year celebration poster. I said I would love to do that.

What did the creation process of this painting entail, what materials did you use, and how long did it take to complete?

I use acrylic paint, and then part of my unique style is to then draw on the painting with pen and ink to enhance details. From taking the original photos of the museum, then projecting the selected one onto the canvas drawing in the significant parts with pencil, the painting, and finally the pen and ink, took a couple of weeks.

How did you develop your art style, and what are some of the key identifiers that define it?

I studied at Parsons School of Design and the School of Visual Arts, both in New York, but really, as with most artists, began when very young and really developed my style and thinking on my own way back when.

There were a number of French impressionists who were influences: Maurice Prendergast, Jean Dufy, among others. The ink drawing is purely mine though.

What do you consider your greatest artistic achievement or accolade?

In the ’70s, while participating in the Washington Art Fairs, I painted most of the museums, monuments and buildings there including the Library of Congress. They sold thousands of posters of the image, as did many of the others — Lincoln, Washington, Jefferson, the Capitol — and I did the White House, and the limited-edition lithographs were signed by me and Bill Clinton to give to special donors to his campaign.

I did Lincoln Center, Kennedy Center, and was commissioned by COMSAT to do their corporate office. I did many floral and still-lifes, as well as a great cow painting for Art Basel when I showed there in Switzerland. All of these posters are on a special sale now at Louis K. Meisel Gallery for just $5 each till mid July.

What has been the most rewarding aspect of your art career as a whole?

The reactions, comments and appreciation of the thousands who have acquired my work and the many thousands who have seen it and enjoyed it in art fairs, gallery shows and museums.

Do you have any upcoming exhibitions in the works?

I will have a major retrospective at Louis K. Meisel Gallery in SoHo in November.

Would you like to share any closing thoughts or additional information?

My paintings reflect my hope from the very beginning: That they were and are able to make as many people as possible happy to be looking at and seeing what I have to offer.

I have, in addition to creating a couple thousand paintings, published two major books on the Hamptons as a photographer, The Hamptons and Hamptons Pleasures, with Harry. N. Abrams — each with hundreds of my photographs. And I have six books published by Rizzoli on food: New York Sweets, Fresh from the Farm, Gourmet shops of New York, Shop Cook Eat New York, et cetera.

See more of Susan Pear Meisel’s artwork at meiselgallery.com/artist/susan-pear-meisel.