Island Insider: Susan Sadler

by SC Reporter Emilie Alfino

Does art, and therefore artists, contribute to making a community a better, special place?

Sanibel artist Susan Sadler, a 30-year resident and 23-year veteran of the Tower Gallery Artists’ Cooperative, says it does. “Without the arts – whether it be dancing, singing, writing – I think we lose all sensitivity, and creativity is so important to bring joy. The passion that comes when you are an artist and you’re passionate over your creation or your singing or whatever, I think that needs to be in the world. And I believe that arts can be compassionate for people in a lot of different ways. If we’re without the arts, we’ll get to be kind of a flat society. We need creativity in the world.”

Allan Smith, who nominated Susan for this article, wrote, “Susan embodies a community-first mindset, and it’s people like Susan that make our island so special and unique.” What’s more, he continued, is “Susan is an expert at capturing the optimism and joy that is ever present on the island through her artwork. You can sense her optimism through her joyous paintings, bright colors, and subject matter.”

Susan is part of the Tower Gallery Artists’ Cooperative, which demonstrates her participation in and belief in the power of the collective. “There is a rich, vibrant artists’ community that exists on Sanibel, and it is made even better because of Susan’s part in it,” Smith concluded

Susan was born and raised in Michigan in the Detroit area. Her husband was an engineer, necessitating a move every two to five years. “Five years was the longest we lived anywhere,” she explained. “It was really hard, but we saw a lot of the United States.” The couple have three grown sons and five grandchildren spread out in California, New Jersey, and Memphis. “My oldest grandchildren consider Sanibel their place, from babies until now they’re in college. They love this island.”

The Sadlers moved to Sanibel in 1997 when her husband started a business that allowed him to work from home. “All of this time, I’m an artist, and I had a business of hand-painted clothing. I drove all over with my wares and set up tents at weekend art shows.” Susan did a show on Sanibel one year and fell in love with the island. When the family decided to move again, Susan said Florida would be easier for her because there were so many shows she was traveling to. “But there’s only one place I’d live in Florida and that would be Sanibel,” she said, “so we sold our house, got in the car, and moved down to Sanibel, bought a house and said it was a five-year commitment, we’d see what it was like.” Obviously, they’re still here!

Prior to that, Susan said she really wanted to get off the road, because it’s hard to drive and do all the work required, but “the money was helping put the kids through school.” In 2001, she took a class at BIG ARTS called “Never a Mistake Watercolor. “I’m always a painter, whether it’s on clothing or whatever.” The instructor encouraged her to interview at Tower Gallery even though all she had were the three things she’d done in class. To her surprise, they brought her into the Gallery, and she’s been part of it since 2001.

Being a co-op gallery, all 25 or so artists work their shifts. It’s the oldest gallery on the island, and Susan has served as both president and vice president. “We just make sure everything is running well. It’s a great community of people.”

A lot of the artists at Tower Gallery do drawings or paintings of the area, Susan said. “It’s just the sensitivity to nature that we like to share with the people that look at our art. Plus, when you work at Tower, or any of the businesses that I had, you see people, tourists and others, and you want to be helpful to them. We share. Sometimes you feel like you’re the information center when they ask, ‘Where’s a good place to eat?’ or you send them someplace like our library, which is amazing and which they might bypass. So we’re informative plus friendly.”

Some of Susan’s artwork

When Susan decided to get off the road and concentrate on 2D work, she went down to doing just one show with her hand-painted clothing.

Susan had a really strong following with her hand-painted clothing, doing the Rotary Arts & Crafts Show. “It was a lot of fun; it was a great event.” That was before Hurricane Ian, which destroyed her whole studio and everything to do with hand-painted clothing. “I loved being in the clothing business. I loved putting things together on a woman to make her feel happy. But I had done it for so many years that my hands were getting worn, and it’s a lot to get the equipment back in. So I don’t know if I’ll do it anymore.”

In 2004 when Hurricane Charley hit, Susan was the vice president of Tower Gallery when she and her partner were contacted by South Seas, asking if they would be willing to start some sort of art gallery on Captiva. “Perry Thompson and I created Two Islands Gallery on Captiva, and we had it until Hurricane Ian,” Susan said. “It was a good fit because I was the creative part of it and he was the numbers, the money, part. It was a great little boutique gallery. I had a line of boutique clothing and my artwork, and then I chose the other artists to be involved.” The Gallery was in Chadwicks Plaza. While Ian didn’t destroy it, the Gallery had to leave the plaza, and Susan said it was really a good thing because they wouldn’t have been able to afford the rent due to the lack of customers on the islands. “To this day, people tell me they really miss that gallery,” Susan said. “My slogan was Captive in Captiva. It was a great, successful business.”

During all of that, Susan started another business – Whims, a little “ladies’ boutique” at the Bailey’s Shopping Center. “It was a tiny little place with specialty clothing. Then after five or six years, I was bought out because my mom was ailing, and I had too much on my plate. But it was fun starting that business.”

Before Ian, Susan said she fit in because she had businesses on the islands. “I saw returning tourists and snowbirds on a regular basis, and that was a way to connect with the community,” she explained. Now after Ian, Susan said she just wants to be in the studio and paint and is not as social. Susan stayed on the island during Hurricane Ian and is often asked if she suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD. “I don’t,” she answers. “What I have, my problem, is just in the total feeling of displacement.” She remembers that walking down Periwinkle was horrible.

Swimming is very important to Susan – that’s where she gets her inspiration. Another source of inspiration is her grandchildren. “I love children’s art because it’s so free and simple,” she explained. Susan holds FaceTime painting classes with her young grandchildren, ages six, eight, and nine. “They’re drawing or painting, and we do it together.”

People who look at Susan’s work always say it just makes them smile, and she finds that very rewarding. Her paintings are fun and imaginative. “I’m not a realist at all,” she explained. “During the pandemic when everything was shut down, I usually would paint whimsical birds and animal life, and then I started painting my interpretation of flowers. I did January blooms and February blooms, so each month I had a new floral to do. I liked the way I could bring in different patterns and shapes. I’m kind of stuck on flowers right now.”

Susan’s goal with her art is to bring happiness. “It’s happy art, fun colors, it’s good positive energy, so I think that’s really important. My biggest asset, I guess, is to look at the positive side, be a cheerleader, and a good listener.”

And that’s how art and artists, especially Susan, help make a community a special place.