"Enchantment is where the paintings come from, being put under the spell of something that calls out to be painted".
We are so excited to have painter Susan Haigh as our newest member of the gallery. We are launching her with a show entitled Enchantment opening Thursday May 4. The show runs until Sunday May 14th.
About Enchantment:
For this show I am bringing together three favourite themes, large close ups of flowers, wildflowers in their habitat and vertical landscapes featuring trees. The landscapes are small, 6" x 12" whereas three of the flower close ups are 36" x 48". All of my paintings stem from a particular scene striking me as special. I take pictures for reference and hope that one day I will capture this specialness in a painting.
I guess I have always sought the road less travelled and my sense of humour is such that I prefer to talk funny rather than be serious. I sometimes make up botanical names for my paintings like Agave Prehistorica and Lily Giganteum . I did a whole series of hexagons. I don’t follow fashion so I have no qualms about doing things a little different.
I am happy to be joining the Salt SpringGallery and its talented artists. The cooperative way of doing things is one that appeals to me on many levels and I hope my cheerful good nature will be appreciated.
Artist Statement
I am inspired by nature’s balance and unstoppable push for life. The simplicity and complexity of plants, the beauty in shape and form, the natural curve at that point of least resistance.
I have always had a great respect for nature, be it the diverse population of creatures that share our planet, the unpredictable and sometimes violent weather that wakes us up to our insignificance or the rich variety of plants that support us in a myriad of ways.
To celebrate this diversity, I choose flowers and foliage as the subjects of my paintings, exploring their intense colours and inventive forms. My latest enthusiasm is for trees and I am working on a series of small paintings of forest scenes.
As a lover of pure colour, I can always find inspiration in the ways nature calls attention to itself. Living in the predominantly green world of British Columbia, I feel a shock of delight when I see a splash of red flowers or a slice of bright blue sea. The often flamboyant, deliciously scented flowers of the South Pacific and New Zealand that I encountered as a teenager made a lasting impression on me, leaving me feeling a deep connection to the unsullied colours of flowers everywhere.
I often feel there is too much focus in the world on negative events. I find solace in nature’s confidence. There is so much beauty to be found when we examine closely the interconnected reality of nature. Birds, animals and plants are all superb in their individual ways but flowers are the world’s boldest optimists. They show their cheerful faces in even the most inhospitable places and wear colours that call out to be noticed. The endless variety of shapes and colours of petals, leaves and seeds astounds me. I am in awe of the relentless life force that drives these creations.