Peripheral Visions
By Susan Stillman
What was the first work of art you recall having an impact on you? How did it change you?
“I don’t have a recollection of visiting a museum as a child, but I do remember lying awake excitedly while my parents attended the 1st grade book fair one evening. I had fallen in love with a lavishly illustrated book of fairy tales that I requested they buy for me. I remember the gorgeous imagery and colors were thrilling and kept me awake in anticipation.”
What, if any, allied arts, sciences or humanities (i.e., music, literature) influence your practice?
“I’ve always been a reader, and a lover of music. I feel the creative impulse is much the same in all the arts and I enjoy reading about the creative process in all disciplines.”
At what point did you decide to become an artist? Was your path continuous or interrupted?
“I made up my mind in grade school that I was going to be an artist, and that has never changed, or been interrupted. I drew, painted, took classes outside of school, and studied anatomy as a teenager. I didn’t anticipate that I would become an educator in my early days, but I fell in love with art school at RISD and I’ve been teaching in a college classroom ever since.”
What media do you work with most often? What appeals to you most about that media?
“I work in acrylic but I began as an oil painter. I became allergic to oils in my 30’s and have never looked back. With acrylics, you can continuously paint without any drying time. I find my paintings are clearer and brighter than when I worked in oils. The heavily textured surfaces I prepare on my supports insure I don’t get mired in details.”
Are there other artists, schools, periods, or movements (historical or contemporary) that you feel your work responds to or is in conversation with?
“I feel very rooted in the American canon of painters. I’ve been influenced by Bellows, Diebenkorn, Porter, Freilicher, and Hopper. Lately though, I feel very connected to Morandi. My work centers on being present in observation of minute changes in light and form. I return to the same places again and again, and these variations begin to accrue meaning for me. The repetition of place and the intimacy of my environment brings to mind how Morandi used his limited trove of objects as an infinite source of study.”
Tell us about your current studio work and specifically the work you are presenting in our project space. What themes, emotions, or events (real or imagined) are you seeking to represent or respond to.
“This project, Peripheral Visions, is an ongoing series of small works that addresses the sensation of moving briskly through my own suburban landscape, capturing fragmentary views. I’ve produced over 100 small panels to date, with sizes from 8” x 10” on cradled wood panels. These are designed to be viewed individually and in various groupings and installations. I’m looking forward to presenting the project in the Gillette Gallery at the Garrison Art Center this coming May/June 2023.”
“I’m interested in the ephemeral, homing in on moments when light transforms things we would normally ignore. With early evening walks in my hilly Westchester neighborhood, I’m on the lookout for sudden shifts in color brought on by the changing light. Many views have become familiar motifs repeated in different seasons and times of day.”
“The light that I capture only exists for a few seconds. I document these views with my camera and use the archive of images to recall what I felt at the specific moment. The process emphasizes that nothing observed is fixed, as light shifts second to second. Color is transitory by nature, and paying close attention is what fuels my work.”
“This series with its small-scale panels has allowed me to document more of the thousands of moments I have archived over the years than I could ever accomplish in larger works. The informality of the compositions and the fluid execution of the paintings mimics the myriad brief impressions we observe as we move through our days.”