Susan Stillman’s work explores the ephemeral qualities of light and captures those transformations on canvas. Walking daily in her own hilly neighborhood, she is on the lookout for moments when the light will change an ordinary scene into something that demands our attention. “The familiarity with my subject feels akin to the still life paintings of Morandi,” says Stillman. “Revisiting the same objects repeatedly and seeing something unique each time.”
AquaGold, acrylic on wood panel, 16 x 12"
The scale of her work has an impact on how the images are perceived. Larger paintings invite the viewer to enter the space created. Smaller scale work feels fragmentary, echoing the experience of moving through the landscape, noticing flashes of color on the periphery.
Cherry, acrylic on wood panel, 18 x 18"
An absence of the figure is deliberate, disallowing any imposition of “story” and leaving the focus entirely on the moment captured and its specific qualities of light, color and tonal saturation. The simplicity of the subject is transformed by the moment of illumination and by our unexpected attention.
“The landscape paintings of Susan Stillman are a confluence of urban and everyday themes set in a proverbial time capsule of suburban life,” says Jill Thayer, Ph.D.
Dark Sky, acrylic on wood panel, 24 x 24"
Stillman has a bachelor’s degree in fine art from Rhode Island School of Design and a masters of fine art from Brooklyn College. A life-long educator, she has been a part-time associate professor at Parsons School of Design since 1983. —
Want to See More?
(914) 260-7714
www.susanstillmanfineart.com
Instagram: @susan_stillman_art
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