"Mayan Princess in Green" 20" X 16"  $1100  Watercolor

Sue Sill

A life-long artist who has worked in a variety of media, Sill holds a Ph.D. in botany from Texas A&M University at College Station, and recently culminated a long career in public garden administration.  Under her former married name of Sue Gardner, Sill published numerous scientific papers, which she illustrated with detailed pen and ink drawings.  Many of her pen and ink drawings illustrate publications of the Bromeliad Society International, and her originals can be found in collections of bromeliad enthusiasts around the world.  Series of prints and note cards have been produced.  A limited edition series of three native plant prints was designated an official Texas Sesquicentennial project to benefit the Corpus Christi Botanical Garden.  The originals for a series of bromeliad prints are part of the permanent collection at the Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation at Carnegie-Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.  In 1977, Sill (Sue Gardner) was an honored guest and exhibitor in the 4^th International Exhibition of Botanical Art and Documentation.  In 1990, a collection of her botanical illustrations were exhibited as a one woman show at the Art Museum of South Texas in Corpus Christi.

Having moved to Pharr, Texas from Oklahoma at age 11, Sill was mesmerized by all things Mexican.  She lived most of her life in Corpus Christi, where she raised a family, and simultaneously pursued her bachelor degree in biology.  She earned her doctorate in botany in 1982.  During her doctoral work, Sill traveled widely across Mexico.  In 1990, she moved to Michoacan, Mexico.

Upon returning to the US in 1998, she became Director of Georgia Southern University’s botanical garden.  In 2002, Sill moved to the Rio Grande Valley to direct the new Butterfly Park in Mission, Texas.  Since leaving the Butterfly Park in 2008, Sill has devoted time to a reforestation project in Michoacan, Mexico, where she travels frequently.  Her travels have also taken her to Central America, Ecuador and Cuba.

Sill now paints full time.  Her current works are largely portraits of indigenous women of the Americas executed in watercolor, and watercolor with pen and ink.  In 2010, two of her paintings won Best in Show and First Place for Works on Paper at the Art Center of Corpus Christi.  Other subjects are figures and group scenes depicting indigenous life and festivals. 

              "Purepecha Herb Vendor" 16" x 20"  $1100  Watercolor                                                      "Orgullo Feminino" 20" x 26"  $1500  Watercolor

              "Purepecha Pot Vendor"  22" X 30"  $2000  Watercolor                                                 "Ocumicho Artisan" 18" X 22"  $1300  Watercolor

                     "Feather Dancer 2"  16" X 20"  $1100  Watercolor                                                        “Abuela Dulce"  20" X 26"  $1500  Watercolor

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