Southport Magazine

Long before photographers and cameras were everywhere, artists had been commissioned to record events using their painting and drawing skills. In America, these paintings are considered irreplaceable historical documents of U.S. History, such as the works by portrait artist Gilbert Stuart who painted portraits of the first six presidents. Americans today know what George Washington looked like when he became our first president in 1789 because of the picture he painted of the Founding Father. Or the rare Army paintings by artists Samuel J. Woolf, who was embedded with American forces in Europe during World War I. To this day, all branches of the United States Military have artwork that depicts historical stories of missions, heroes, and military events. Each picture tells a story. These paintings are hung in offices in government places, the office walls of the members of Congress and Government buildings, and other military and civilian offices around the country. 

The Coast Guard Art Program, or COGAP, celebrates its 35th year of using fine art to tell the stories, honor heroes, and inform the public about military duties. According to the US Coast Guard website, most Coast Guard artists are professional artists who volunteer their time and talents. The collection holds nearly 2,000 works of mostly paintings that capture the daily missions of the 40,400 active duty men and women and the missions they perform daily, including homeland security, military readiness, search and rescue, marine environmental protection, drug interdiction, and natural resource management, as well as sea and air assets. 

One of these fine artists now resides here in our Southport community. Susanne Corbelletta, a New York native, has volunteered her time and talent to paint for the Coast Guard for several years. “I applied to the Coast Guard Art Program, had my work juried, and was excited to be accepted into their program,” said Susanne. “I’ve created nine paintings so far and will continue to donate more. My current painting is on display at the Salmagundi Club in NYC through July 28, 2023, then to Federal Hall Museum, NYC.” 

Susanne’s award-winning paintings are privately collected and exhibited nationally. Her work has been shown at The National Gallery, the Salmagundi Art Club, Federal Hall National Museum in NYC. Being a native New Yorker, Susanne Corbelletta and her husband moved to the Southport area to be in a quieter environment. “Cousins of mine retired to North Carolina and asked us to have a look. Southport had what we were looking for… a thriving art community and a local airport. My husband is a pilot.”

Susanne was classically trained at The Stevenson Academy of Traditional Painting. The founder, Harold Stevenson, was a protégé and friend of Norman Rockwell. “I learned to draw for a full year before I picked up a paintbrush,” she said. Susanne explains that her process is a combination of many lessons. “Preparing a canvas, choosing, aligning, and drawing a subject, choice of paints, etc., are all part of the process. Finally, getting to paint is the easy and fun part of the process for me. When I start a painting, I sometimes hear my instructor’s voice guiding me through the process.”  

Inspired by Impressionism and Classical Realism, Susanne paints to capture mood and atmosphere by using changes in light and broken color, hoping to invoke a sense of tranquility for the viewer. Her goal is to draw inspiration from her surroundings, and she is always captivated by light and shadows moving over a landscape. When not painting for the Coast Guard, Susanne also enjoys painting portraits, figures, and still life, in which she can control the lighting and composition.

Every year, Susanne is honored by the U.S. Coast Guard for her efforts in painting the stories of its servicemen and women. She is very proud to be an artist for the United States Coast Guard, where she has joined the ranks of artists past to assist in documenting their history through paintings.

You can see more of her Coast Guard and other paintings on her website https://www.susannecorbelletta.com/. 

She also shows locally in Southport at the Franklin Square Gallery and Artisans Gallery on Howe. You can reach her by email at susannesart1957@gmail.com.

To read more about the Coast Guard Art Program, check out their website: https://www.uscg.mil/Community/Art-Program/.