Susan Rollins

Artist Statement

Painting is like dreaming to me. I process what I have seen, experienced, remembered. Real or imagined, these metaphorical landscapes are a reflection of my subconscious, where the intangible and unexpected bridge the gap between reality and fantasy. Creating scenes that feel simultaneously familiar and disorienting, the narratives’ shifting views convey seen/unseen connections, changing weather, or emotional states.

As vintage letters or objects are added to the canvas, a story emerges that I didn’t set out to tell, political, environmental or emotional. These messages from the past honor the value they once held or the feelings that the writers expressed long ago, addressing both obsolescence and continuity. Observing our world through an historical lens is both comforting and alarming and I find myself obsessed with making these connections in an effort to understand myself and this world.

Lines, whether drawn, painted or stitched, divide the canvas into quadrants that hold space for stories within stories, indicating the passing of time or changing perspective. With layered brushwork and vestiges of previous decisions apparent, the act of painting, reworking and refining is a meditation on impermanence. Painting is both a representation of what I observe, and an expression of what I am experiencing, connecting the world I inhabit with the world that inhabits me.