Susan Campbell Art
For 32 years, I've had the privilege of teaching Art in the public schools of Wisconsin. In between, I took a few years off and majored in Drawing and Painting at the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design.
I use charcoal, conte, and acrylics on both paper and canvas. Most of my subjects are the animals, people, and situations I experience in my life-real or otherwise.
This first volume of Art of the Obituary gathers 52 bold acrylic paintings that merge gesture, text, and human form into a moving meditation on remembrance. Each painting pairs the verbatim obituary from Susan's local newspaper with an imagined visual expression, a monochromatic, emotive portrait painted to the very edge of heavyweight, deckle-edged paper. The words and figures meet at the margins, sometimes echoing one another, sometimes in tension. The resulting artwork is filled with unexpected moments of honesty, humor, tenderness, and reflection.
Rendered in expressive strokes of black, white, and gray, these works capture the immediacy of memory and the fleeting clarity found in lives distilled to a single sentence. Some paintings feel intimate and quiet; others pulse with movement and contrast. Together, they offer a visual language for thinking about legacy, loss, and the stories we leave behind.
Art of the Obituary · Volume 1 invites readers to slow down, look closely, and consider the beauty and profound impact found within the words we choose to remember our loved ones. This collection is both a tribute and an invitation: a reminder to treasure the time we have with our loved ones this side of heaven.
2017. Acrylic on Paper
30”x22”
Died 2/10/17, Age 82
“Life never necessarily took him where he thought it would”
2017. Acrylic on Paper
22”x30”
Born 2/6/33, Died 12/25/16
“She did what she did because she believed that is what she was supposed to do”
2017. Acrylic on Paper
30”x22”
Died 11/19/16, Age 81
“Marlene spent time showing her horse Shortie at events”
2017. Acrylic on Paper
30”x22”
Died 10/3/16, Age 82
“Celebration at Phantom Lake YMCA appropriate footware (sic) recommended”
2017. Acrylic on Paper
30”x22”
Born 11/20/23, Died 11/30/16
“Ruth wasn’t the life of the party she was the party”
2017. Acrylic on Paper
22”x30”
Born Sleeping 10/6/16
“And to think the first thing she saw when she opened her eyes was the face of Jesus”
2017. Acrylic on Paper
22”x30”
Born 5/6/82, Died 9/25/16
“God in His infinite wisdom transitioned Jeremy to his Heavenly home”
Acrylic on Paper
30”x22”
Died 2/5/18, Age 44
“From the day Christopher was born he faced many challenges he can now be forever free”
Acrylic on Paper
30”x22”
Died 1/13/18, age 58
“Brian’s passion for motorcycle racing created his nickname Crash”
Acrylic on Paper
22”x30”
Dates and age not available
“Challenged by the need to maintain a public persona”
Acrylic on Paper
30”x22”
Born 12/3/25, Died 2/5/18
“His quips evoked the clever banter of the films he loved”
Acrylic on Paper
22”x30”
Would have turned 40
“We are devestated (sic) by the loss Numb and not able to complete the thank you cards”
Acrylic on Paper
22”x30”
Died 8/30/18, Age 71
“Fond of yanking a person’s chain Bill teased you because he liked you”
Acrylic on Paper
30”x22”
Died 3/2/18, Age 77
“Carol loved her cat Bonkers despite his peculiar temperament”
Acrylic on Paper
22”x30”
Dates and age not available
“The parish priest purposely cast them as husband and wife”
Acrylic on Paper
22”x30”
Died 3/26/18, Age 97
“The hands are still. The sewing machine is quiet.”
Acrylic on Paper
30”x22”
Died 10/18/16, Age 83
“Koert was a Holocaust survivor”
Acrylic on Paper
22”x30”
Born 3/20/35, Died 10/3/18
“He was beloved”
Acrylic on Paper
30”x22”
Born 12/15/52, Died 5/31/16
“Without God, there is no way Dale would have battled his addiction and disease with such ferocity, and without Him there is no way his children would be able to cope with his passing”
Acrylic on Paper
30”x22”
Died 9/14/18, Age 84
“The Green Bay Packer game will be on during the visitation”
Acrylic on Paper
30”x22”
Died 2/16/19, Age 81
“Please wear your comfort clothing Leah would like that”
Acrylic on Paper
22”x30”
Born 2/27/25, Died 1/5/19
“She was the glue that held her family together”
Acrylic on Paper
22”x30”
Died 1/11/19, Age 84
“Him loved watching tv westerns”
Acrylic on Paper
30”x22”
Born 6/28/30, Died 12/17/18
“They raised their three nephews as sons without hesitation”
Acrylic on Paper
22”x30”
Born 11/7/17, Age “almost” 101
“Her last year was filled with chocolate”
Acrylic on Paper
22”x30”
Died 6/20/17, Age 88
“Enjoyed spending her time buying vacuums and returning items”
Acrylic on Paper
30”x22”
Born 8/16/32, Died 8/29/18
“A compliment never hurt anybody. Joyce”
Acrylic on Paper
30”x22”
Died 1/28, Age 83
“Suzie came in during a storm and went out during a storm”
Acrylic on Paper
22”x30”
Born 3/26/33, Died 6/11/19
“In high heels”
Acrylic on Paper
22”x30”
Died 7/27/19. Age 99
“She dug a basement by hand”
Acrylic on Paper
30”x22”
Died 12/16/17
“Served as a polka police officer”
Acrylic on Paper
30”x22”
Born 10/10/64, Died 9/7/18
“Suffered silently with severe anxiety”
Acrylic on Paper
22”x30”
Born 8/19/39, Died 6/16/19
“Erika loved Jesus with all her heart”
Acrylic on Paper
30”x22”
Born 12/13/46, Died 9/12/18
“Say a prayer for him thanks”
Acrylic on Paper
22”x30”
Died 5/7/19, Age 41
“We had always hoped that she would find her way back to her family”
Acrylic on Paper
30”x22”
Born 2/19/25, Died 12/12/17
“Love you daddy sleep tight. Peanut bu cook oatmeal raison (sic) choc chip nutter butter”
Acrylic on Paper
22”x30”
Died 12/13/19, Age 98
“An atheist to his core”
Acrylic on Paper
30”x22”
Died 1/25/20
“Cancer sucks”
Acrylic on Paper
30”x22”
Born 1/23/17, Died 12/18/19
“It was her job to tame the wild kittens”
Acrylic on Paper
30”x22”
Died 1/3/20
“His humor kept everyone not thinking of their problems”
Acrylic on Paper
30”x22”
Born 9/29/26, Died 2/22/20
“They raised 8 children and many cats”
Acrylic on Paper
22”x30”
Died 2/19/20, Age 81
“if you have any information regarding this person please call Iron County Coroner”
Acrylic on Paper
22”x30”
Died 4/13/20
“if you don’t know her then she’s curious why you’re still reading this”
Acrylic on Paper
30”x22”
Died 4/18/20, Wilford, Age 94, Mary, Age 92
“Both died six hours apart”
Acrylic on Paper
30”x22”
Born 10/2/43, Died 11/16/16
“She was always upbeat and interested in other’s problems”
Acrylic on Paper
30”x22”
Born 9/1/26, Died 7/31/20
“Losing our mother to dementia was a slow grieving process”
Acrylic on Paper
22”x30”
Died 10/15/20
“Sharing her daily meals by sending food emojis”
Acrylic on Paper
30”x22”
Born 2/27/41, Died 7/24/20
“Tim took impeccable care of his brain-injured son for the past 3 decades”
Acrylic on Paper
22”x30”
Born 3/1/41, Died 10/15/20
“You would remember him because he was curious about you”
Acrylic on Paper
22”x30”
Died 3/9/20, Age 91
“She always stood at the door and waved goodbye until we were gone”
2017. Acrylic on Paper
30”x22”
Age 56, Died 8/29/16
“Linda faced her diagnosis with courage and grace”
2017. Acrylic on Paper
30”x22”
Died 11/9/16, Age 100
“John left school to work on the farm”
Find Susan Campbell’s Fine Art Prints on Saatchi Art.
