Susie Chaikin, Susan Chapman, Sue Dove:
Head, Heart, Knees and Hands
We are three artists exploring what it is to be human, both spiritually, physically, and in relation to each other… Looking at internal and external components and the complexity of both of which make us who we are. We make art in order to process the magic of being human.
Sue Dove: For as long as l can remember, my work has always been about faces, both human and animal. It’s hard to articulate how, why or what compels me to keep working away at this subject matter. All l know is that it is a joy and l have a consummate desire to do so.
It’s amazing to see the interpretation of the human or animal face and body being constructed by mankind throughout the millennium, from cave paintings and indigenous people to artists like the Fauves, Matisse and Picasso. I believe these were the trigger for me to try and emulate them. Working in collage, oil pastels and paint, l develop images working in sketchbooks and in larger pieces. My stitched and rag-rugged pieces are interpretations of that artwork and, using these processes, work evolves with a continuous element of possibilities. It’s endless.
Susie Chaikin: My art is my story. It’s the way I work out and express my world. My latest work has come about from processing the grief around my husband’s heart attack and a friend’s death from lung cancer. I stitched the organs, the heart and the lungs. In the making I’ve found I can create ease and peace with my grief: stitching beauty and thought into harsh moments. I find stitching meditative and slow, and naturally supports a healing conversation with myself. I try and make beautiful pieces, so transforming my experience and perspective. I am now curious how as an artist I might be able to do this with others.
Susan Chapman: I have always been interested in the human form, I observe attitudes, gestures and relationships. I like to sketch from life, making quick sketches of people going about their daily lives, and accumulate these semi-abstract images in my sketchbooks, developing them through drawing, collage and print. Recently my hands have started to cause me problems, so my current work is focussing on this deterioration. Moving into fabric, I use Procion dyes to draw, paint and print, using my sketchbooks to influence my work, then stitching intuitively by both hand and machine completes my practice.