Description:
Painting: Oil on Paper
Artist:
Susan Bennerstrom
Location:
Office of the General Counsel, 526 Kerr Administration Building, OSU Corvallis, OR.
Dimensions:
7” x 7”
Awards:
2012 College of Agricultural Sciences’ Dean and Director, F. E. Clark Environmental, Larry * Sherry Kaseberg, and Carey L.& Glen S. Strome Memorial Art purchase awards, sponsored by Gita & Sonny Ramaswamy, the Curtis family, and Larry & Sherry Kaseberg,
Artist Statement:
“Since the early 1980’s my main theme has been the exploration and depiction of light. I began with landscape as a foil. Gradually, buildings started to enter the compositions, at first far away and tiny, then closer and larger, until the buildings became the main focus and the landscape shrank. Finally, I concentrated on details of the buildings and the objects within them. Always, however, the structures and objects are stage sets for light with its transformative power and ability to affect emotions. I rarely put figures in my paintings, as I find that they tend to take over; I prefer to let light and shadow imply the narrative and carry the emotional weight. In addition to the dearth of human figures, I also choose to paint quite ordinary scenes, and for the same reason: by focusing on the easily ignorable architectural detail, washbasin, household appliance, piece of furniture, or houseplant, I like to explore how a fall of light can turn a humble item into something poignant and worthy of lasting attention.
“I work from my own photographs, which are themselves abstractions—one step removed from reality. I travel further into abstraction by removing details, shifting things around, changing perspective, exaggerating the quality, color and direction of light, investing the shadows with greater emotional intensity. The paintings wander far afield of straightforward observations of reality, and instead become my personal investigation of the places and objects depicted and the memories they evoke.”
Susan Bennerstrom
www.susanbennerstrom.com
Davidson Galleries, Seattle; and Sue Greenwood Fine Art, Laguna Beach, CA
Year:
2012