Susan Lautmann Hertel

Susan Bright Lautmann Hertel (1930–1993) is an American painter and muralist whose work reflects a lifelong fascination with the natural world and Native American culture. Born in Highland Park, Illinois, Hertel spent formative summers at Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, and later Arizona, experiences that instilled a deep attachment to landscape, animals, and rural life. This connection to nature continued throughout her adult life, from running Barking Dog Ranch in Glendora, California, where she raised Arabian horses, Nubian goats, and other animals, to living in a passive-solar adobe in New Mexico.

Hertel studied art at Scripps College in Claremont, California, beginning in 1948, under the guidance of Millard Sheets. Their mentorship evolved into a twenty-six-year professional collaboration, during which Hertel assisted on public murals, sculpture, architectural projects, and stained glass. Painting, however, remained her primary focus. Her process often began with photographs, leading to detailed drawings and gouache color sketches, which were refined into large-scale oil paintings.

Her work was widely exhibited, including shows with Elaine Horwitch in Santa Fe, Ankrum Gallery in Los Angeles, and Barbara Beretich Gallery in Claremont. Hertel’s paintings demonstrate a sophisticated understanding of composition and color, informed by her extensive experience as a muralist, and continue to celebrate the richness of both human and natural environments.