About The Artist
Susan Irish is an American abstract painter and environmental advocate known for her bold and energetic scenes of nature.
Each of her distinctively frenetic landscapes carry subtle signs of creeping industrial blight. To appreciate their beauty is to grapple with one’s own role in their decay.
Mother Nature is the subject of my work. Sometimes I portray her as a real person. I use her as spokesperson for stewardship of the planet. There are series that depict the battle between the growing things and the pollution, specifically flowers and plastic. And sometimes, I just celebrate the pretty flowers.
As an abstract painter, I am trying to capture the feelings and the essence of nature not to document scientific details. The act of painting is my way of making sense of the world. My emotions, experiences, and memories end up on the canvas. First, I scribble and make marks, I write intentions, and splash some paint. I may collage in items that were destined for the trash or recycle. I hide them under layers and disguise them with paint. Using oil and cold wax and lots of scratching tools, I create textures evocative of patterns found in the landscape.
The color schemes are meant to be captivating with a few incongruent colors disturbing the peace and the compositions are a bit off as if the earth is slipping into the sea. I am hoping that these elements inspire a deeper look at the painting and serve as conversation starters about art and the environment.
Susan Irish is the alchemist , transforming one thing into another —
in this case no longer useful objects like junk mail envelopes, contact lens cases and packaging of all kinds. This detritus becomes the foundation , surface and texture of her art.
Embedding her trash of no value, then applying some artistic ceremony unique to her that includes paint and wax, from which emerges something of great value .
Her messages speak of places as related to ancestors, deep roots and wind, weaving and clouds, pulling natural order and grace from the wastefulness of our culture.
Fran Gardner
FRAN GARDNER is an artist and curator. She writes essays about art, leads art retreats, and consults with artists helping them deepen their work. In addition, she is an award-winning fiber and mixed media artist and Distinguished Professor Emerita, University of South Carolina, Lancaster.