Driving America's Art Scene - Hunterdon County, NJ USA

Susan Mania

Susan Mania

Painting

 

Susan’s studio will be open Saturday, April 30 from 11 AM to 5 PM.

Schedule your visit via Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/323472193037

25 Strimples Mill Road, Stockton, NJ 08559

609-203-6148

In an effort to discover more of nature’s mute secrets, I open myself to the natural world in observance of organic forms, movements and color. The natural world has its changing moods that speak a language yet to be revealed. It is through listening to and conveying a story of the environment, as an intuitive exercise, that I explore through art making. In the relationships between plants, typography and weather and the impact that our human experience has on it, a dynamic story is revealed of our interconnectedness.

Harvesting plants for dyes, inks and paints, many of which are gathered from the hedgerows and fields of New Jersey is an essential way in which my work expresses a language of the landscape. By working seasonally, I can observe changes in the environment from year to year, and make a visual record of the loss of native plants, the destruction of woodland from severe weather events or the degradation of soil and changes to typography from stormwater runoff.

Conceptually organized through the use of composition and color, forms and impressions are synthesized into the idea of a new environment, beyond any specific location but bearing a sense of place. From the many natural elements that arise in my work; flora, seeds, soil patterns, fallen trees or invasive plant habitats, I pull apart individual components of line and form to re-mix and organize elements to bring a new interpretation through a layered composition and diverse color palette. Bound together all these impressions coalesce in an energetic sensation that tells a story of our connection and relationships with the land we call home.