Heat waves of colour shimmer within translucent layers of paint in Susan’s new abstract paintings. She creates an atmospheric luminosity that contrarily also echoes the inferno depths beneath the Earth’s crust. Subterranean themes dominate this exhibition. The title of the show, Lithochromism, combines the Greek word for rock, lithos, with chromism, meaning colour. Some works are cooler in colour, veils of blues and greens awash the work’s surface creating subaqueous depths or celestial heights. From within all comes an inner glow.

Susan stated that
“An exploration of internal light and recessional space has been a constant in my work, but I have learned to trust the creativity of viewers to supply their half of the story. It is my experience that the ingenuity and multiplicity of these interpretations endows the work with infinite personal meanings and stories; because of this I would like to consider these paintings collaborations with the viewer.”

Indeed, these paintings invite contemplation and imagination. Like finding images in clouds, these paintings conjure up fleeting glimpses of half recognisable shapes, of other worldliness, or flashes of memories.

Several paintings in this exhibition are loosely based on the geological phrase ‘the Moho Discontinuity’, a theory wherein it is believed that there is a layer between the crust and the earth’s mantle, which is plastic, suggesting pliability. It could be considered that Susan has interpreted this pliability as light because in these paintings layers of translucent colour part to reveal a source or a destination. Implied temperature is also an important aspect of Susan’s paintings, some works are created from such intense reds, oranges and pinks they seem to generate heat – both atmospheric and subterranean. Other works are refreshingly cooler, evoking mild cloudy days or underwater worlds.

Susan graduated from the Central Metropolitan College of TAFE in 2000 and has work in their collection. Her last exhibition at The Church Gallery, in July 2001, was extraordinarily successful. Virtually all of her paintings sold during this three week exhibition, and delighted patrons have returned to the gallery over the past ten months to buy more of her work. No doubt this exhibition will prove just as successful.

*prices valid 2002