Sue Rollins

Painting is like dreaming to me. I process what I have seen, experienced, remembered. Real or imagined 

landscapes are a reflection of my subconscious, where the intangible and unexpected bridge the gap between reality and fantasy. I am drawn to creating scenes that feel simultaneously familiar and disorienting, with shifting views conveying seen/unseen connections, changing weather, or emotional states. 

 

Lines, whether drawn, painted or stitched, divide the canvas into quadrants that hold space for stories within stories, indicating the passing of time or changing perspective. With layered brushwork and vestiges of previous decisions apparent, the act of painting, reworking and refining is a meditation on impermanence. Multiple layers on the canvas are somewhat like chapters in a book- the story grows and changes as I work on it. 

 

When vintage objects are added to the canvas, a story often emerges that I didn’t set out to tell; political, environmental or emotional. This process is what I most enjoy— creating a narrative that resonates with me today, addressing both obsolescence and continuity. Observing our world through an historical lens is both comforting and alarming, but I find myself obsessed with making these connections in an effort to understand myself and this world.

 

Painting is both a representation of what I observe, and an expression of what I am experiencing, connecting the world I inhabit with the world that inhabits me.