Susan Wallis

Susan Wallis is a graduate from the Unversity of Toronto with a Bachelor of Art and Art History, along with a certificate in Design from Sheridan College. Orignally from Toronto, Wallis has resided in the County now for close to 20 years.

Her choice of medium is encaustic painting. This ancient medium is historically known due to the Egyptian Fayum mummy portraits in beeswax.  Together with the frescoes and objects of Pompeii and Herculaneum, these  encaustic paintings are among the best preserved art from ancient times.  The encaustic medium provides her with the colour virtuosity of oil with the quick dryingness indicative of acrylic.  The best of both worlds.  The process is the combination of molten wax with oil pigment.  The labour intensive medium provides great  texture, luminosity and endless opportunities for experimentation.

Wallis believes that a painting should depict the the act of seeing, not the merely the object seen. She allows her subject matter, the Canadian landscape to pass through her veil of self in order to be realized as art. This process (when done well) can transfix, transcend and transport the observer elsewhere. 

Wallis opened Melt Studio & Gallery in June of 2021 with the support of her husband Glen Wallis and her daughter, Artist and Art handler & Installer, Vanessa Rieger.

Wallis curates all art shows at the gallery and enjoys meeting new artists. Learning about and supporting other artists in their art practices provides Wallis with endless inspiration. Wallis has also put aisde a room in her gallery dedicated to supporting new and emerging artists of any age.