Artist Statement
About
It is curiosity about her relationship to her world that drives Susan’s need to create visual expressions of her experiences, usually in large scale immersive formats such as panoramic series and multi-panel assemblages. Luminosity, a sense of rhythm and a tendency towards playfulness are core features of her work.
Attracted to the energy inherent in the painterly monotype Susan has adopted the medium as a focus for her work over recent years. She is attracted to the spontaneity, unpredictability and versatility of the process and the way the openness and ambiguity of the monotype can activate the imagination. In recent times Susan has expanded her art practice with the addition of ceramic sculptures and digital art, enabling her to further address her conceptual concerns of memory, place and passing time.
Biography
Susan works from her studio near Pambula on the Far South Coast of NSW on the lands of the Thawa people of the Yuin Nation. Contributing to the local arts community and engaging with the south coast and Canberra arts communities has enriched her life as an artist and led to some valuable collaborations and joint projects.
In 2018 Susan was awarded a practice-led PhD in Visual Art from the painting workshop, School of Art and Design, the Australian National University. Susan has been exhibiting her work for over twenty years, holding thirteen solo exhibitions and as part of many group exhibitions. Susan has won eight awards and has been a finalist in eleven other art competitions. She has also been awarded grant funding individually and as part of several groups. Her work can be found in the collections of Basil Sellars, ACT Legislative Assembly, South East Centre for Contemporary Art/Bega and private collections.
Recent activities
-Solo exhibition, Cold Collations, at M16 Artspace, Griffith ACT, 2024
-The work, Generations, was exhibited as part of the exhibition, HOME, Works from the collection at SECCA/Bega, 2024
-Created the pilot version of digital artwork, Road Trip with producer, Hiromi Matsuoka and other filmmakers of the Far south Coast. This was done with the assistance of a CASP grant through South East Arts and Create NSW, 2023.
-Engaged as a speaker for the Regional and Public Galleries Conference NSW, Power point presentation: Finding Light and rhythm in paint: a studio practice. 2023
-Selected participant in the online course, Digital transformation for the creative industries, offered by the Australia Council for the Arts and produced by UTS, 2022.
-Transmission, Canberra Contemporary Artspace, Manuka, ACT, 2022.
-A Journal of a Plague Year, M16 Artspace, ACT, 2022
Thank you to South East Arts and Create NSW for the CASP grant that allowed me to produce a pilot digital art work, Road Trip in collaboration with fil/digital artists from Far South Film Inc.
This pilot is an experimental work exploring the possibilities of a longer place-based projection work based on my monotype triptychs - it is hoped that this pilot will assist in securing further funding to extend the collaboration to more regional artists who can contribute editing, original composition and sound design and animation.
A pilot for -Road Trip - digital art ----------please play ----a work in progress-------
I was very happy to be engaged as a speaker for this conference: Regional and Public Galleries NSW Conference 2023, 2 March, in Bega Thankyou Iain Dawson from SECCA for the invitation.
My powerpoint presentation: Finding light and rythm in paint: a studio practice.
Thankyou to the Australia Council and UTS for enabling me to take part in the on line short course in 2022-
Digital Transformation for the Creative Industries
Transmission October 2022 CCAS Manuka ACT
with Susan Banks and Phil Page -a response to pandemic resrictions and distance- work mailed to each other by post and worked on collaboratively.
A Journal of a Plague year - May 2022 -our reponses to catastrophes
with Susan Banks and Phil Page
Art Month Sapphire Coast - August 2021
I was a participant in 2021 and 2022
Studio video, and Motel Art Fair
GEO: Art of the Collection -7-31 August 2019
Project Space ANU School of Art and Design Gallery
A collaboration between Geoscience Australia and ANU School of Art and Design
June/July 2019
Promised the Moon curated by Dr. Ursula Frederick ANU School of Art and Design Gallery.
Feb/March 2019 - Road Trip - I was a recipient of a Regional Initiative offered by M16 for this exhibition
Aluminium Roadblock from the exhibition Road Trip was purchased by the ACT Legislative Assembly in Canberra for the permanent collection in March 2019
March 2017 - One Way or Another - An exhibition showcasing the monotype with Leah Bullen- Foyer Gallery ANU
Gallery view above left showing Cloud/Light.
Questions about Weather (detail) to the left andThe Pose in the making above.
2014 - The Family Lounge won the Basil Sellers Award at Moruya and was acquired by Basil Sellers for his collection.
2014 - Sitting with Pattie won the Bega Gallery Art Award - judge Nicholas Harding.
from July 2020
The exhibition Road Trip was shown at Merimbula Airport departure lounge by Bega Valley Regional Gallery BVRG:TARMAC
2011-2012 The Hill was a response to a residency at The Broken Hill Art Exchange by four artists, Lorna Crane, Jen Mallinson, Poppy Benton and myself.travelled to three venues. I exhibited two bodies of work. See The Hill1 and The Hill 2.
2010 - This work on the left was a finalist in the Basil Sellers Art Award and an inspiration to proceed with the larger work, Snapsots of Broken Hill, heydays, above.
2008 second prize Bega Valley Art Awards. Judge Nigel Lendon
