Susan Hunter Guise | Canadian Artist 🇨🇦Canadian Landscapes and
Contemporary Abstracts

I’m Susan Hunter Guise, a Canadian artist who paints impressionist landscapes and contemporary abstracts. I find myself gravitating toward two themes of late, nature and Japanese culture including zen. My latest exhibition Poems in Pastel weaves those themes together with visual works and haiku.

A devoted Canadian landscape artist, I am irresistibly drawn to the way radiant light filters through trees, and the ethereal softness of mist over shimmering water. My impressionistic style combines bold, expressive mark-making with delicate, intricate detail, balancing rich, luminous colour and subtle, textured nuance, and capturing expansive Canadian landscapes, dramatic seascapes, and serene beachscapes.

I'm also learning the art of shodo, or Japanese calligraphy, which informs all of my recent works. My love of Japan was sparked during a business trip to Tokyo 20 years ago when I was charmed by kabuki theatre and tea ceremonies, but more importantly Japan's emphasis on community over the individual. Zen meditation is now an important part of my life. My art reflects the quiet stillness of mind that the practice of shodo and zen brings.

Alongside her award-winning Canadian landscape paintings, Susan Hunter Guise is also expanding her practice into contemporary abstract painting, bringing the same attention to light, balance, and atmosphere into non-representational work. Her recent abstracts, Load Bearing and Memories of Tokyo, earned Honourable Mention in the Teravarna International Juried 15th Abstract Competition. Based in Barrie, Ontario, Canada, Susan continues to explore nature, Japanese culture, and Zen mindfulness through both landscape and abstract art.

Her abstracts One Chance and Residual Load were accepted into Intangible Experiences at Propeller Art Gallery in Toronto, Ontario. Whether working in landscape, Zen-inspired pieces, or modern abstraction, Susan creates art that invites quiet reflection—bridging place, memory, and mindful presence through color, texture, and layered form.