SUE NORTON KENT

Sue Norton Kent, also referred to as “The Woman Behind the Women”, has developed a distinctive, signature style with her images of the graceful, long-necked ladies who appear to be from a medieval time. The saying that the eyes are the windows to the soul certainly applies to Norton Kent’s work.

Norton Kent began the series of long-necked ladies in 1996 when she was living in Denver and enduring a great deal of turmoil in her own life. “I hope the viewer who looks at my paintings can identify what’s going on through the expressions and identify with them. A lot of the early ones were dark, because that’s where I was at the time. They have become mellow. At that time I was doing naïve paintings. There were so many emotions in me wanting to emerge, that I realized I needed to move past the cute, whimsical paintings I have been creating. There are so many emotions to explore in creating these images of the long-necked ladies.” She partially credits the transition to her relocation to Hot Springs from Denver in 1997.

Norton Kent is a self-taught artist. Discouraged by art professors in college, Norton Kent earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in anthropology and a Master of Arts degree in sociology from Kent State University. Before taking the plunge into becoming a full-time artist in 1985, she had been a rehabilitation counselor and owned a pet store.

Preferring to work in acrylic with a palate of subdued tones including yellow ocher, sap green, burnt umber, white and an occasional touch of red, Norton Kent’s work is gaining national recognition for it’s unique qualities and image. The Hot Springs Convention Center has added one of Norton Kent’s paintings to its permanent collection through the generosity of the Morris Foundation.