Susan Silvester creates figurative oil paintings and sculptures that look past surface sentimentality into the quiet, interior lives of people and animals. Her work is inspired by vintage family snapshots, old photographs, cinematic lighting, and the moody atmosphere of unusual landscapes. Rather than sweet or traditional, her figures capture a soulful introspection and emotional depth.

That hands-on approach is rooted in an unconventional background. Originally from New York, Susan spent decades as a commercial modelmaker and fabricator, sculpting clay puppets for Pee-wee’s Playhouse, building models for the Back to the Future ride and TV commercials, and fabricating work for artists like Robert Rauschenberg.

Today, she maintains an active studio practice in Northern California, blending that rare technical precision with fine art intuition across painting, porcelain, and mixed media.