Arteles Catalogue 2023-2020

Back to Basics program / JULY 2022
Susan Clarke
UK
susanmerylclarke.squarespace.com
About
I’m a visual artist from Dorset, England. My art is about open
space - visual, physical and mental. I combine drawing,
print and photgraphy, and the fusion of processes is what
interests me.
Being outside is the basis of most of my art. I make imagined
landscapes using disparate forms and methods. Minimal
views, solitude and quiet are frequent starting points.
Remote trees and buildings crop up often to stand for space
and isolation. I like to work without an obvious picture plane,
to allow the composition to suggest a space. A mixture of
chance elements and careful editing is important to me.
In this way, I can blend the buzz of spontaneity with my
inclination to organise.
a heart emerging
The summer days were warm and long. I went out early every
day to sit on the jetty at the lake and draw. My idea was to
sit just with paper and pencil and see what would happen if
I stayed still and present for at least an hour. My eyes were
either closed, or watching the lake – but not the paper. For 24
hours, I drew without looking, and in the drawings I can see
how calm I felt, how much body movement there was, how
much wildlife was active around me. Stoats, otters, ospreys,
cranes and rosefinches all visited. By the end a heart shape
had unexpectedly emerged in the drawing. The finished
8-metre long piece is a record of time spent in a very still
space, with the drawing holding me in place and allowing me
to see things I otherwise wouldn’t. I’m very grateful that the
residency made this long stretch of time possible.
My background is in book design and that definitely influences
my work. I also meditate daily, using drawing as a focus.