Susan Jamison

Last Saturday, Laura and I were treated to a visit at the gallery by Roanoke artist Susan Jamison. Susan was in town for the 2nd Street Gallery Art Auction Benefit – she donated one of her exquisite egg tempera paintings to the auction.

My first introduction to Susan’s paintings and drawings was in a January 2007 exhibit at 2nd Street Gallery. Finding her work tucked in the back of the gallery, I felt like I had discovered a visual treasure. I was wowed. Three months later, I was thrilled to see her paintings again – this time represented by Martin Irvine (Irvine Contemporary) at last year’s artDC gallery fair. I specifically told Martin how pleased I was to see Susan’s work in the show. He smiled knowingly and agreed.

Now, a year later, it is clear to me Susan is on the right track as her reputation is soaring.

Having admired an artist’s work for a while then getting a chance to meet them in person is always an interesting experience. Sometimes the artist’s personality just doesn’t match their art. In this situation, it was a joy to discover that not only do we like Susan’s work, but we found her to be a thoroughly engaging, thoughtful and delightful person. Laura and I spent probably too long talking with Susan and sharing stories. It was such a pleasure finding out how attuned she is to the business side of her work, but still being reasonable, practical and fair about it all.

In describing Susan’s work, it would take a lot of effort for me to say it any better than this write up by the folks at Irvine Contemporary:

Jamison uses large-scale panels to depict fantasy worlds that appear both timeless and of our own moment. Jamison combines two classic forms: the portrait, in a traditional Renaissance profile position, and panels reminiscent of Audubon and naturalist illustration and Asian art forms. The exquisitely rendered details in the paintings evoke a magical realism that balances naturalism with strikingly original allegories of the feminine.

Susan Jamison’s paintings read like vivid dream states of the figures depicted in the compositions: animals, insects, birds, and objects of the women’s world like needles, thread, and fabric, become symbolic projections of fantasies, fears, desires, and sexual longing. Like Fairy Tales and Renaissance allegory paintings, Jamison’s imagery captures primal and archetypal emotions about the body, sexual identity, and human relationships to the natural world.

The paintings engage our ideas of exposure, touch, and vulnerability: the heads and faces of the figures, each with eyes closed, are "exposed" for our viewing through the use of early medical drawings of biological features of the human head. This exposure of an underlying layer of the body is a metaphor for disclosing the interior life of each female figure. The bodies of the female figures are also nude but decorated with traditional henna tattoo patterns that at once expose each figure and focus attention on the organic and sensual surface of the body. The compositions invite viewers into haunting imaginary spaces drawn from the artist’s singular vision.

Laura and I are particularly attracted to the mystical elements of Susan’s art, and how she creates links between the human existence to that of the natural world. Specifically, the association between women, plants and animals sparks an image of extreme femininity. It engages and interests me every time. Stylistically, I’m drawn to the complete absence of background and shadow. Often we see this technique employed and it flattens the picture by bringing the imagined background forward. However, Susan’s renderings in near scientific detail give the absence of background an infinite sense of space. Beautiful work.

Susan is currently exhibiting at Spanierman Modern in NYC. The show runs through May 3. Catch it if you can. Or drop by Irvine Contemporary in Washington, DC (1412 14th Street NW) and ask for a viewing of the pieces they have there.

Side note: 2nd Street Gallery director, Leah Stoddard, reports that the Benefit Auction was a huge success. All but 6 of the 100+ pieces available were purchased.

Comments

[Barbara]

Rob and Laura:

Intriguing posts today. Susan Jamison's work is most appealing. I'll make an effort to see more of her work. Rob's description of Jamison's visual appeal and technique is truly informative.

Laura's post comparing the "endurance" required in gallery ownership and for open-water swimming is provocative.

Regarding Migration Gallery's upcoming show in May of Suzanne Howes-Stevens, we'll call you. There are a couple of her works that appeal to us. More later.

Barbara