Susan Stillman
White Plains, NY
Website
susanstillmanfineart.com
Social Media
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How would you describe your work?
Light is the primary unifying element in my work. I’m drawn to that fleeting moment that elevates the most ordinary view. The intimate scenes from my suburban neighborhood have become familiar motifs, repeated across different seasons and times of day. Many are fragmentary, glimpses one might notice passing by out of the corner of one’s eye. I always try to allow the paint texture to dissolve edges, implying rather that describing theindividual moment. Larger canvases invite the viewer to enter the picture plane and allowme to expand my viewpoint for more complex works.
What inspires you?
I find inspiration everywhere. Artists are often astute observers, stepping outside of the action and taking it in. I would describe myself in that way, trying to maintain the hyper-awareness of a traveler, even when close to home. We are traveling much more the last few years, and these new landscapes have been making appearances in the studio. I have an archive of thousands of images I work from.
Can you speak about your process?
I don’t do a lot of drawing or planning before starting a painting. I prepare a pile of small panels and some large canvases to always have ready. Preparation involves priming and laying down various textures to roughen my surfaces. I also color the panels, sometimes with a warm yellow, burnt sienna, or a harsh pink. This establishes some initial color play as the ground is left to flicker through layers of paint. My favorite part of the process is the initial lay-in of the composition. I fill the entire surface with large shapes of local color. This initial stage is an abstract composition, and I try to maintain the energy and simplicity of this as I continue to work. Most times, I put the painting away for a time before I begin the next stages. I start many paintings at once so I can toggle back and forth between sittings and not overwork them.
How did you become interested in art?
I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t in love with drawing and painting.Very early onI took classes in and outside of school, studying anatomy and painting from observation. Later, I went to Rhode Island School of Design pre-college and returned for my undergraduate degree. I spent my junior year in Rome with their European Honors Program. Italy is a Mecca for artists, and became my own spiritual home.
Do you have any favorite artists, movies, books, or quotes?
I’ve just devoured Sally Mann’s new book, Art Work/ On the Creative Life. Her stories resonated so strongly for me being a woman maintaining an artistic practice while living a life filled with family, and the minutiae that comes with that. She describes how much our life experiences add richness to the art, even as they seem to pull us away from it.
What advice do you havefor younger artists?
I remember a defining moment in my early 20’s. I was commissioned to do a cover for Time Magazine, and the pressure of that assignment paralyzed me. I did 5 versions of the same bad painting, working all through the night. As I was experiencing the humiliation of not being able to pull it off, I had a moment of clarity. I realized that I was in this for the long haul and I probably wouldn’t reach the prime of my artistic practice for many years. Here I am at that point I envisioned all those years ago. It’s a journey we need to honor and stick with throughout all the phases of our lives.
