Susan Abbott is a painter from Vermont, in the USA. She has worked all her life as an artist and it shows. I love these paintings in her collection A Place Apart: A love affair with Vermont, let me tell you why;

• Firstly, I like the subject matter. Yes I like the New England style of building (steep roofs and timber cladding), but I think my love for these paintings might be a little less architecture and a little more subliminal. You see, I really like Gilmore Girls, and these buildings feel reminiscent of Stars Hollow, Lorelai and Rory’s fictional home town.
• I also like how nostalgic these paintings feel. They feel quiet and still, but not ghostly. There no people in the images and yet they still feel alive.
• I like the fading light, there’s a feeling of respite. The day is done, it’s time to rest.
• Speaking of which, I like the remnants of work; washing on the line, wood that has been chopped, open barns, so whilst there aren’t any humans visible, there’s evidence they’ve been here and a promise they’ll be back.

• But most of all I love the colours. Just look at all those lilacs and butter yellows in that shed cladding. These milky, yet saturated tones are breath-taking. They feel like a real-life sunset and a fantasy all at once. I think that artists who get colour are geniuses. If you spend some time really looking at the images you will see shadows without even a hint of grey; instead the shadows are lavender, teal and emerald. How clever and how wonderful!

I mean, who would think to use such a crisp apricot tone for lake water? Susan would, and it works!

If you love these artworks as much as I do, Susan sells limited edition prints on her website. She also sells original works in galleries, which you can make contact with here. Not in the budget? no problems, Susan posts regularly on Instagram at susanabbott_art, so follow along if you’d love her saturated homescapes in your feed.

What I like about … is a series of art conversations written in plain language. I hope that in time, all people can feel connected to the art they enjoy and gain confidence talking about it. Often, the art elite make people feel silly when they talk about art, but art is for everyone. I’d love for you to join the conversation. What do you like about this work?