Susan Fraser-Hughes - Contemporary Charcoal artist.
- Isobel Arden
- May 17
- 5 min read
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Meet Susan Fraser-Hughes.
In this interview, Mark invited Susan Fraser-Hughes to create her own fantasy cultural year from the answers to some easy questions where there are no wrong answers. Enjoy her journey below.
There are artists who sketch casually on café napkins, and then there’s Susan Fraser-Hughes — the kind of artist who can make charcoal on frosted Mylar feel like a full existential conversation. Born in Queensland, Australia in 1966 and now based in Vancouver, Canada, Susan Fraser-Hughes has built an international reputation for creating quietly intense artworks that sit somewhere between realism, memory, philosophy and “hang on, why is this making me emotional over a drawing of a rose?”
At the centre of Susan Fraser-Hughes’ practice is drawing. Not the rushed kind done during boring meetings, but deeply considered, technically precise work that explores light, darkness, presence, absence and the strange emotional weight ordinary objects can carry. Working primarily with charcoal on frosted Mylar, she creates pieces that feel both delicate and powerful — almost like someone froze a thought halfway through becoming a memory.
Susan Fraser-Hughes holds a PhD in Fine Arts from Aberystwyth University in Wales, alongside an MFA from the University of Calgary and a BFA with Distinction from the Alberta College of Art and Design. She also completed studies at Cambridge University’s Art History Summer School, which sounds very sophisticated because it absolutely is. Her academic background feeds directly into her work, giving it a thoughtful, research-driven edge without ever making it feel cold or inaccessible.
Over the years, Susan Fraser-Hughes has exhibited internationally across Canada, Europe and beyond. Her recent exhibitions include The Warrior Empath in Paris, Unveiling in Mumbai and The Road to Authenticity through Vedica Art Studios and Gallery. Previous exhibitions such as Drawn, Understory and Three Definitions of the Sublime further established her reputation for work that combines emotional sensitivity with technical control.
Much of Susan Fraser-Hughes’ work explores the relationship between observation and transformation. Flowers become emotional landscapes. Shadows become characters. Everyday objects start looking oddly symbolic after a few minutes in front of them. Her series Every Rose: A different Story, Just a Moment and I Am... reflect an artist interested not only in what we see, but how we emotionally interpret what we see.
What makes Susan Fraser-Hughes particularly compelling is that her work never feels like it is trying too hard to appear intellectual. The ideas are layered, yes, but the emotional pull arrives first. Even people who know absolutely nothing about contemporary art tend to stop, stare and quietly spiral into reflection for a minute.
Alongside her exhibition work, Susan Fraser-Hughes continues to contribute to contemporary drawing discourse through an evolving practice rooted in observation, materiality and human connection. Her works are held in collections including the Alberta Foundation for the Arts, and she has received recognition for both her artistic and academic contributions.
In a world obsessed with speed, algorithms and content that disappears in eight seconds, Susan Fraser-Hughes creates art that asks people to slow down. Slightly inconvenient for productivity culture. Very good for the soul.
Susan Fraser-Hughes' Fantasy Cultural Year ... with a magic wand and time machine to hand.
Mark introduced the idea of a “fantasy cultural year” - a way to get to know each new full member that's far more spontaneous than a traditional interview — allowing imagination, travel, culture and Susan Fraser-Hughes' creative vision to collide.
This hyperthetical, global, fully funded creative journey for Boguslawa would be exploring the relationship between art and emotion.
🎨 The Fantasy Cultural Year Begins
Susan chooses the ruins beside St Davids Cathedral in Wales — ancient monastic ruins that she says “speak to her soul”.
Mark imagines her there:
Sitting at a pop-up café on a sunny June evening
Drinking sparkling water
Reading The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Listening to Gregorian chant
Greeting Caravaggio, whose artwork has deeply inspired her own creative perspective
🇮🇹 Tuscany, Italy
First stop: the olive orchards of Tuscany.
🎼 Her travel soundtrack:
Classical music only, featuring:
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Frédéric Chopin
Ludwig van Beethoven
🎭 Cultural experiences:
Staying in Florence overlooking the Duomo
Watching traditional Italian folk dancing
Eating Italian cuisine
🇫🇷 Ancient Forests of France
Susan chooses the ancient Forest of Fontainebleau after being inspired by images and paintings of French forests.
🚣 Sporting event:
She watches rowing championships there because her son is a rower.
🌳 Surrey Hills, England
Susan describes her fascination with England’s ancient sunken forest pathways with towering banks and tree canopies overhead.
Mark takes her to the Surrey Hills near Guildford.
🖼️ Virtual Reality Art Experience
She chooses to step inside the paintings of J. M. W. Turner using immersive VR technology.
She especially loves the story that Turner tied himself to a ship’s mast during storms to truly experience nature’s power before painting it.
🎭 Cultural Week in London
🎤 Monday — Concert
Seeing Adele live at her peak.
🎭 Tuesday — Shakespeare
Discussion around Measure for Measure as an introduction to Shakespeare.
🎶 Wednesday — Musical
Watching The Phantom of the Opera in the West End.
🎼 Thursday — Opera
Attending Tosca at Royal Opera House.
🎬 Friday — Film
Watching Edie on the big screen.
🏛️ Final Choice: Hero Lunch
If Susan could spend two hours with anyone in history, she would choose Plato.
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Mark Walmsley FRSA FCIM AGSM
Chief Culture Vulture
Arts & Culture Network
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