Susan Boardman

Artist and storyteller Susan Boardman is inspired by the rich textures of life on Nantucket. A year-round resident for more than 30 years, Susan’s embroidered narratives and folk art paintings are tactile experiences, a celebration of daydreams of ordinary women living in extraordinary times. Susan’s fanciful paintings are grounded in a sense of history, one she experiences as she retraces of the steps of the island women who inspire her work, across cobblestoned streets and narrow, rambling lanes. 

Susan’s work begins by reading the first-hand accounts of Nantucket women who sailed on nineteenth century whaling voyages. It is their words that shape the story, leading to embroideries rich with animated whaleboats, frothy waves, and noble whales. As her work has evolved to include folk paintings, Susan still returns to the journals and letters left behind by Nantucket women throughout history. Their universal, yet personal, stories speak to Susan. As she walks by their homes, many still standing in Nantucket’s historic downtown, she feels their kinship and translates it to her artworks.