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SUSAN CUA FINE ARTS
Welcome! For the first time, you can now explore the growing digital collection of Susan Cua’s artwork all in one place. This online gallery will become a legacy home to hundreds of documented pieces created over the span of over three decades, capturing moments of inspiration through expressive color, light, and movement. In addition to Ms. Cua's work, you will get a chance to experience her travels as we post about journeys that inspire her.
From vibrant cityscapes to atmospheric landscapes, each work reflects years of dedication to the craft of pastel painting and impressionist art.
We will be adding more completed artwork daily, so please check back often as the gallery continues to grow.
"Food Trucks" | Chicago, Illinois | Pastel on Paper | By Susan Cua | International Impressionist Artist
"Food Trucks" | Chicago, Illinois | Pastel on Paper | By Susan Cua | International Impressionist Artist
"Autumn Bridge" | Pastel on Paper | By Susan Cua | International Impressionist Artist
"Autumn Bridge" | Pastel on Paper | By Susan Cua | International Impressionist Artist
"Sunset - Le coucher du soleil" | Carcassonne, France | Pastel on Paper | By Susan Cua | International Impressionist Artist
In “Sunset – Le coucher du soleil,” Susan Cua captures the medieval silhouette of Carcassonne beneath a radiant evening sky glowing with coral, violet, and electric blue. The dreamlike softness of pastel transforms the ancient fortress into something almost suspended between history and memory.
"Sunset - Atardecer" | Malaga, Spain | Pastel on Paper | By Susan Cua | International Impressionist Artist
In “Sunset – Atardecer,” Susan Cua captures the fleeting emotional atmosphere of dusk over Málaga with remarkable sensitivity to light and movement. The work embraces a core principle of Impressionism: conveying the sensation of a moment as it is felt rather than strictly observed.
"One Fine Day in Scotland" | Scotland | Pastel on Paper | By Susan Cua | International Impressionist Artist
"One Fine Day in Scotland" | Scotland | Pastel on Paper | By Susan Cua | International Impressionist Artist
"Bikes on a Clear Day" | University of Seville, Spain | Pastel on Paper | By Susan Cua | Impressionist Artist
"Bikes on a Clear Day" | University of Seville, Spain | Pastel on Paper | By Susan Cua | Impressionist Artist
"The View from the Top" | Seville, Spain | Pastel on Paper | By Susan Cua | Impressionist Artist
"The View from the Top" | Seville, Spain | Pastel on Paper | By Susan Cua | Impressionist Artist
"One Fine Day" | Toledo, Spain | Pastel on Paper | By Susan Cua
One Fine Day | Toledo Spain | Pastel on Paper | By Susan Cua Impressionist Artist
"A Beautiful Day" | Evanston Lake Front Scene
A Beautiful Day | Evanston Lake Front | Pastel on Paper | By Susan Cua
"The Photographer" | Evanston Lake Front
The Photographer | Evanston Lake Front | Pastel on Paper | By Susan Cua
"Blue Waves" | Evanston, IL
This pastel on paper by Susan Cua presents an evocative interpretation of the shoreline along Evanston’s lakefront, where Lake Michigan becomes both subject and atmosphere. Cua employs an impressionistic approach that privileges sensation over strict representation. The composition is vertically oriented, guiding the viewer’s eye from the dense, textured foreground upward into the expansive, luminous horizon.
"Winter" | Lovelace Park Evanston Illinois
"Winter" | Lovelace Park Evanston Illinois | Pastel on Paper | By Susan Cua
"Shayna & Sheila’s Coffee Chat, New York City"
Shayna & Sheila’s Coffee Chat, New York City is grounded in a distinctly personal narrative: the two young women depicted are the artist’s nieces, Shayna and Sheila, observed during a quiet moment of conversation at a New York Coffee shop during a family meet up for a performance. This lends the work a heightened sense of intimacy, transforming what might otherwise read as a casual café scene into familial remembrance.
"Autumn Leaves, Paris"
Autumn Leaves – Paris Collection by Susan Cua, rendered in pastel on paper, offers a quiet and reflective view of Paris shaped as much by memory as by observation. The composition is organized around a gently bending river that leads the eye toward a low stone bridge in the distance. This sense of movement is reinforced by the rows of trees lining the embankments, their forms softened and slightly elongated, guiding the viewer through the scene without rigid structure.
"Cafe le Courcelles | Paris, France"
This pastel work by Susan Cua presents a compelling impressionistic rendering of a Parisian streetscape centered on Café Le Coucrelles. Executed with a softened, atmospheric handling of form, the composition emphasizes mood and sensory experience over precise architectural fidelity. The façade of the café, with its muted earth tones and loosely defined structural lines, anchors the scene, while the iconic red awning and vertical “TABAC” sign provide striking chromatic accents
"Matador, Horse, & Bull" | Malaga, Spain
This pastel on paper by Susan Cua captures a volatile moment within the bullfight, emphasizing motion and tension over spectacle. The composition is driven by strong diagonal movement, as both the charging bull and the mounted matador surge across the surface, creating a sense of instability and immediacy.
"I Hate This Scarf" | Madrid, Spain
“I Hate This Scarf” by Susan Cua is a striking pastel-on-paper composition that captures the visceral intensity and psychological tension of the Spanish bullfighting arena in Madrid, Spain. Rendered in a loose, gestural impressionist style, the work privileges movement, color, and emotional immediacy over precise figuration. The blurred contours of both matador and bull dissolve into sweeping arcs of saturated pigment, evoking not a literal scene but the sensation of motion,
"Parisian Mémoir: Michel’s Studio"
In Parisian Mémoires: Michel’s Studio, Susan Cua presents an intimate glimpse into the layered atmosphere of her friend's workspace in Paris. Executed in pastel on paper, the composition demonstrates the immediacy and tactile quality characteristic of the medium, allowing color and gesture to convey both memory and place. The work reflects an impressionistic sensibility, a characteristic of Cua's work, in which atmosphere, movement, and emotional resonance take precedence.
"Montmartre Trio - One Fine Day In Paris"
his pastel on paper by Susan Cua captures the everyday poetry of Montmartre in Paris, a neighborhood long associated with painters, cafés, and street artists. Executed in an impressionistic style, a key characteristic is Cua's works. The composition centers on three figures—viewed from behind—walking together through a lively open-air art market.
"Chicago: Reflections at Crown Fountain, Millennium Park"
This pastel painting by Susan Cua captures a quiet, reflective moment near the iconic Crown Fountain in Millennium Park, one of the most recognizable public spaces in Chicago. Rather than depicting the fountain in its usual crowded summer atmosphere, the artist presents the scene with a contemplative calm. The broad walkway stretches forward, its wet surface reflecting muted city lights and colors, creating a soft mirror that leads the viewer deeper into the composition.
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