Susan Currie: The Poetry of a Coastal Code

There is a particular kind of beauty in a language that does not need words.

For Palm Beach based artist Susan Currie, that language is found in the nautical alphabet: 26 flags originally designed for communication at sea, now transformed in her studio into bold compositions of color, shape, and personal meaning.

Currie’s connection to the coast is not rooted in a lifelong boating tradition. Instead, it comes from decades of living near the water, first in New England and now in Palm Beach. Over time, the coast became less a subject to paint and more an atmosphere to absorb.

“I just kind of exist quietly among it and notice what I notice,” she says.

Susan allows its rhythms to surface through her choices of color, geometry, and space. Her CODE series reimagines the nautical alphabet beyond its traditional primary-color flags, transforming each letter into something that can be appreciated both as abstraction and as message, and that duality is part of the fun.

At first glance, a work might simply read as a sophisticated arrangement of blocks, shapes, and unexpected color combinations. Then comes the recognition: a familiar flag, a letter, perhaps a word hidden within the composition.

Currie describes a code as “a series of letters or symbols employed to transmit an attitude or an energy.” In her hands, the nautical alphabet becomes exactly that: a visual vocabulary for identity, memory, and connection.

The Coast, Without the Clichés

What makes Susan's work particularly compelling is that it captures a coastal sensibility without relying on conventional coastal imagery. There are no obvious beach scenes required. Instead, there is spaciousness, light and a sense of pause.

Currie credits writer Henry David Thoreau with influencing the way she observes the world. She even coined her own term, “thoreauing,” inspired by his philosophy of living deliberately and remaining open to wonder. It is an approach that seems perfectly suited to the coast.

Making Space for Color

Her compositions may be graphic, but they are never cold. Their atmosphere comes from the tension between structure and softness. She thinks carefully about her color relationships, giving each shape enough room to hold its own presence.

Her guiding thought comes from sculptor Anne Truitt: “The color has to sing from the inside.” That idea of spaciousness extends beyond the pieces.

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Susan sees art as something that can create a pause within a home; to discover the code and find the meaning that might already be there; or perhaps create your own.