We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Susan Grace a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Susan, appreciate you joining us today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?
In my paintings my primary interest throughout the years has been an exploration of the figure, in which I have moved freely between representation and abstraction, using fragmentation, layering, and complexity to create multiple possibilities for interpretation and experience. Although I tend to work in series, my treatment of the figure has varied widely. Employing a variety of approaches keeps me engaged and encourages me to explore new techniques and methods of expression. For many years I taught literature and theater in universities in the U.S. and in Athens, Greece before I became a full-time painter. Because of this background, it is natural for me to want to create work that suggests a narrative, but it is always an open one. I see the figures in my paintings as participants in unfinished dramas in which they are continually evolving, exploring possibilities for metamorphosis, delighting in the fluidity of identity, and remaining indifferent to a final resolution.
In a recent series that spanned several years, I focused on creating large-scale oil portraits of women referencing classical imagery but giving the work a contemporary sense by overlaying the figures with loose, free-flowing typography. By bringing this element into the composition, there is the sense that a viewer of the work responded by adding text or a hand-style tag on top of the images, thus creating a conversation between the new and the old. Sometimes there is transparent typography that does not simply lay on top of the figures but instead blends into them in a symbiotic relationship to expand the underlying narrative. This was a meaningful series for me since I drew on my experiences from living and working in Greece as well as my background in theater and literature. And working on it for a period of years allowed me to explore and deepen my ideas in ways that I found satisfying and instructive.
Another project that is meaningful to me is my current one. I started a new series two years ago in which I worked with friends as my models. Collaborating with my friends gave me new energy that I hoped to bring to these contemporary images of figures. Although the paintings begain fairly realistic in the sense that the models could be recognizable to those who knew them, over time I began to abstract the images more and more. Then I began adding a variety of other images from different sources, such as architecture and plants, that fuse with the image of the figure until the separate images meld together to form a new kind of coherence. Beginning with an image that is familiar to me and then experimenting with it is the process that I’ve found works best for me. Staying surprised by how the paintings are evolving keeps me engaged and excited about doing the work.
Susan, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
Although I have worked as a full-time painter for some years, I began my work career as an academic rather than as an artist. As a child, I always enjoyed painting and drawing, but when it was time to go to the university and choose a degree to pursue, I studied English literature and theater for both my undergraduate and graduate degrees instead of studio art. I continued to paint for my own pleasure in my spare time, but after completing my degrees most of my time was spent researching and teaching. This changed for me when I took a postgraduate lecture position at the American College of Greece in Athens, Greece. Living in Athens and being surrounded by a circle of artists from various countries really sparked a renewed interest in focusing on my painting. I received such helpful support and criticism from other artists during this time, and it encouraged me to establish my own style and begin considering changing my career to being a full-time artist. However, due to the need to be near my family again, I moved back to the U.S. and continued teaching in order to have the stability of a regular income. I had to postpone my previous plan to pivot into a different career. But I increasingly made more time for the studio and my painting. Sometimes my studio was a closet, sometimes a spare bedroom, and one time it was a small cheap hotel room. The space didn’t matter that much since I was driven to create, and having a view, the most appropriate lighting, or even heat, wasn’t a distraction from simply putting a canvas against the wall or a piece of paper on a table and focusing on producing the image I had in my mind. Keeping it simple while having income from a job other than art was very freeing and allowed me to experiment in ways I might not have been able to if I had needed to sell the work to make a living. I learned a great deal about art and my priorities in life during this phase. I finally reached a point in which it didn’t seem excessively risky financially to give up my academic job to be a full-time painter. There were challenges, of course. I had to get used to the isolation of being in my studio for many hours, and I missed the companionship of my colleagues and students. To feel part of a community, I started going to art openings in the area and meeting artists. Studio visits soon became a consistent, valuable part of my life. Then I created a website, started submitting to juried exhibitions, and began showing regularly in area galleries. Although my subject matter in paintings has varied, mainly I have focused on the figure. I tend to work in series in order to explore ideas more deeply, and two of my series in the past drew on my experiences living in Greece. Most of these large-scale oil paintings are abstracted images of women referencing classical imagery. Mick Braa, an art critic, wrote about this series: “Her graceful figures often float on undefined backgrounds while outer layers seem to peel away and symbolically seem to suggest something more visceral on the inside.” Certainly these earlier works were also influenced by my work in theater. The subjects were sometimes portrayed as if either on an empty stage or on a stage with various props arranged around them. I wanted to create an implied narrative and a sense of heightened drama. Influences from theater and literature continue to inform my current series of the female figure, but my treatment reflects contemporary interests. Regardless of how the figures are presented, I have always seen them as participants in unfinished dramas in which they are continually evolving, exploring possibilities for metamorphosis, delighting in the fluidity of identity, and remaining indifferent to a final resolution.
We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?
I have always been aware of the story of the struggling, suffering, isolated artist who worked in almost complete isolation, neglecting opportunities for meaningful personal relationships, financial stability, and good physical and mental health. Certainly some artists do live this way and thrive. However, when I was growing up, although I loved to paint more than anything else, this myth of the tortured artist kept me from wanting to pursue a life as a painter. I had believed that to create anything meaingful, I had to sacrifice everything for it. It wasn’t until later in life that I met many artists who created work of great depth and insight and who were not suffering every day in order to do so. I learned from them that there are many ways to be an artist and what works well for one person may not for another. Being part of a supportive art community has been the most valuable way to bring meaning to both my life and to my work. Collaborating with others, sharing experiences, throwing ideas around, and providing support and encouragement is vital. There is much to learn from other creative people regardless of the specific way they express their creativity. Chefs, dancers, photographers, fashion designers, flower arrangers, and furniture makers have all provided me with ideas I could take back into the studio. Energy, a sense of purpose, and a willingness to experiment are characteristics I admire in other creative people. I appreciate being around such people, learning about their work, and sharing my own creative experiences with them.
Have you ever had to pivot?
Growing up I had always wanted to live and work in other countries. I was raised in a small Midwestern town and even as a child I studied places I might want to visit. This desire for adventure led me to search for international jobs as soon as I finished my university degree. I accepted a job teaching American literature in Athens, Greece, and the experience of living in another culture, learning a new language, and becoming immersed in a world so different from my own was one of the most exciting phases in my life. It was there that I became part of a large group of creative people and had the opportunity to visit art museums, art galleries, and attend international theater, dance, and musical performances. Everything was new and despite the challenges of adapting to life in a different culture in a big city, I gained many valuable lessons that I am still drawing on today. My plan was to live there permanently with a steady academic job while exhibiting my paintings and learning from other artists. However, I had to pivot when it was necessary to return to my home area to be near my family. I was afraid that this would result in a shrinking of my world, both in terms of fresh experiences and of my opportunity to be involved with the arts. I was surprised when this turned out not to be the case. I had been drawn to the unfamiliar, and I thought that was only to be experienced outside my own culture, but after returning home I gradually realized it was possible to have a rich life in ways I hadn’t previously imagined. Returning after a long absence from a familiar place resulted in my viewing it with fresh eyes. Soon I began to notice and appreciate even the smallest, simplest detail of my daily life. Forming relationships with a variety of creative local people showed me the many ways creativity can be expressed and valued. I learned how important it is to adapt to new circumstances and to take advantage of life events to grow, develop new perspectives, and to welcome these opportunities rather than to resist them.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.susangracestudio.com/
- Instagram: susangracestudio
Image Credits
Aaron Paden https://www.
Kyle Batson https://