J. Susan Cole Stone

Susan Stone attended Paier School of Art in Hamden, Connecticut, majoring in illustration and fine art.  She has also taken various classes at Rhode Island School of Design and has been a working artist since 1975.  Her interest in rendering birds, particularly waterfowl, was sparked by her first art-related job illustrating a weekly column “Wings ‘N’ Things” for the Waterbury Republican newspaper in Connecticut.  Soon to follow was Birds of Connecticut Salt Marshes, published by the Arboretum at Connecticut College.  Since then she has illustrated many more books and scientific journals, worked as a graphic artist and illustrator and exhibited in galleries including the Maritime Gallery at Mystic Seaport, Noah’s Art at Noah’s Restaurant in Stonington, Connecticut, Hartford Fine Art and Framing in East Hartford, Connecticut and Picture This Gallery in Westport, Connecticut. 

For many years, Susan had a studio at Westerly, Rhode Island but has recently relocated to Merritt Island, Florida.  Watercolor is her favorite medium followed closely by pen & ink.  She has received an Honorable Mention for Rosemary’s Wool in September 2009 at the Mystic Art Center’s 51st Regional Show, Second Prize at the H2O Show of the Portsmouth Arts Guild in November 2007, the Ann Lewis Parker Award for Best Watercolor at South County Art Association’s Open Juried Show for Behind the Wall,  as well as honorable mentions for On the Morgan I,  and Light at Mystic.  She also received an Honorable Mention for Barn Owl at The Wickford Art Association.  A book she illustrated,  Kid’s Easy-to-Create Wildlife Habitats, written by Emily Stetson, won a 2006 Teachers’ Choice Award  and received critical acclaim in the School Library Journal.  She was accepted into the prestigious 2006 International Show at the Maritime Gallery at Mystic Seaport in Mystic, Connecticut.

In addition to natural history, Susan is an accomplished artist of architectural subjects and is able to render a detailed drawing from blueprints or from life.  She accepts commissions for custom drawings and watercolors of homes and businesses.  She also teaches classes and workshops in perspective drawing, pen & ink drawing techniques,  colored pencil techniques and watercolor. 

Susan is a longtime member of the Artists’ Cooperative Gallery of Westerly in Westerly Rhode Island, an Elected Artist member of the Mystic Art Center (formerly Mystic Art Association) in Mystic Connecticut and a past President and member of the South County Art Association in Kingstown,  Rhode Island .