Meet the Artists – Heidi Sussman

Time has always been my obsession. I think about its infinite passage, how seconds grow into minutes, that become days, that add up to years that flas by in an instant. Albert Einstein said “time is an illusion”, leaving me to ponder whether or not it’s real or does it only exist in my imagination. Is it possible to determine that invisible line that exists in the nano-second between the past and the present? The essence of time is a concept I have addressed sins I first picked up a camera, often reworking images I’ve taken in the past while utilizing new processing techniques.

Taking photographs becomes my only way to capture a moment in time, where the present instantly becomes the past. Memory and mood allows the viewer to peek into a world where it’s impossible to determine if my work was created today or years ago. There is an ambiguity that leaves traces of reality or illusion, and in the pieces I have included in this show I try to evoke feelings of memory.

I use various papers and toning processes and the observer is never sure if the subjects exist in the past or present. In addition to my photography, I create photo-based mixed media pieces, combining various traditional and digital art media with my images. I print my images on an inkjet printer on natural fine art papers instead of traditional inkjet paper, and digitally tone them. Some are hand colored with art media like pastel and pencil, others are painted in the computer using digital brushes and paint. Additional media may be added including wax to create photo encaustics for a softer, more ethereal effect.

Ironically, I use current technological devices like my iPhone to create images reminiscent of vintage photos to look like they were created a hundred years ago. I like to have the viewer wonder where technology begins or ends.

Heidi -Sussman-Dream Wagon

Meet the artists – Susan Ahlstrom

Susan Ahlstrom-Nut

Meet the artists – Francesca Azzara

Francesca Azzara – The Unseen

A well crafted artist statement is an important part of an exhibition. Whether brief or detailed, it helps the viewer learn about the artist’s background and his/her work on display. The 6 artists in our current exhibit have written about how their work relates to the exhibit’s theme of Shadows and Memories. Here is what Francesca Azzara has to say in her statement:

“Memories: remembering the moments or feelings about what has passed. Shadows, besides the physical shadows we can see, metaphorically a shadow can be a “veil” over our feelings, a dark corner in our psyche or the remnant of a moment in time.

For this exhibition, I specifically chose several works from my Sandy series. These were inspired by the devastation and feelings of hopelessness created from the aftermath of super storm Sandy. I spent many days at the Jersey shore soon after the storm, driving through my beloved beach communities. It was hard to comprehend, those decades of industrious work by man; it could all be washed away in a few short hours. What remained were gutted buildings and communities left with the memories and shadows of earlier times.

This work is a combination of encaustic with: paint, collage and mixed media.”

All Art Is A Memory

Nancy Ori – Johl House Living Room

 

Heidi -Sussman-Dream Wagon

Each exhibit the NEW ART GROUP puts up is designed to elicit a variety of responses from the audience. With a title like Shadows and Memories, you can be sure the works in this show follow that same path. In some way, all art is a memory. Shadows can also be memories, or they can simply be shadows or shadings of color to set off the highlights and give depth to an image. The exhibit also offers exploration into how shadows and shades, along with real and imagined memories, can create new stories or narratives that give us a view we didn’t expect to see.