FASHION, GLAMOUR can't compete with NATURE! Hip and swinging with the latest trends, New York City in the 60's and 70's was a perfect place for fashion illustrator Susan Dade.
But there were no trees. Or marshes. Or boats sailing on a deep blue waterway.
While perfect for fashion, it lacked natural beauty...something that pulled Susan from the busy city to North Carolina a few years ago.
Now, instead of sketching models, she paints landscapes, waterfronts and other natural beauties. Her paintings are free yet detailed. One called Coastal Setting shows dozens of boats docked at the Old Yacht Basin. Behind them are the historic buildings that make up the waterfront skyline.
Upon graduating from the prestigious Parsons School of Design she was hired as a fashion illustrator for Woman's Wear Daily, the fashion industry bible consulted by designers, manufacturers and store buyers looking for the latest trends. Susan was on staff there until the late 60's when she was hired by GLAMOUR magazine to illustrate and design ads, posters and brochures all connected with the major advertisers in Glamour. Her charcoal and pen-and-ink drawings were printed and seen there through 1979.
Her ready-to-wear lifestyle slowed down a bit when she left to raise a family and started teaching part time at a number of fashion schools including the Fashion Institute of Technology. After 15 years of teaching, moving to a warmer climate was looking better and better. The family visited Caswell Beach on vacation and fell in love with the area. In 1994 they moved to St. James Plantation.
She doesn't miss the fashion sketches that jump started her career, but instead keeps busy painting the coast! Her work is shown at Ricky Evans Gallery and Franklin Square Gallery, both in Southport North Carolina, among other galleries.
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