Suzanne Sbarge: Observatories
With
the Observatories series I am exploring
house and tower forms as metaphysical homes
for birds, faces, and figures. My fascination
with birds is inspired by the paradox between
their freedom of flight, and the stability of
their domesticity. Birdhouses are characters
in my work, in the process of change -- crumbling,
looking, walking, and growing.
In
these pieces, the landscape is made up of fragments.
Bits and pieces create spaces within spaces.
The surfaces bring together oil and acrylic
painting with collage elements celebrating forms
and rhythms in nature. Plant life, roots, blossoms,
and birds become the habitat for metaphors of
fertility, regeneration, and spiritual freedom.
|
|
I am inspired by the alchemical tension between the
paint and collage elements. The combining of media
is integral to the message. The juxtaposition of paint
and collage causes the viewer to be jarred into an
altered perception. This "collaged state of mind"
is what I look for in my own process and what I also
hope the viewer experiences. The dialogue between
the real and the surreal highlight life's essential
mysteries while serving as metaphors for life's ambiguities.
--
Suzanne Sbarge, April 2005
|
Biography
Born
in Hartford, Connecticut in 1965, Suzanne Sbarge has
lived in Albuquerque since 1989. She has exhibited
her work locally and nationally in over 50 group exhibitions
and nine one-person shows over the last 18 years.
Her work is in the collections of over 60 local and
national collectors. She received her Bachelor's Degree
in Art History and Studio Arts from Barnard College
in New York City and her Master's Degree in Art Education
from the University of New Mexico. She has also studied
studio arts at L'Ecole des Beaux Arts in Toulouse,
France; Syracuse University in Florence, Italy; The
Art Students' League in New York City; the University
of Connecticut; the University of Massachusetts; as
well as Anderson Ranch in Colorado, Penland School
of Crafts in North Carolina, and Vermont Studio Center.
Influences
to her work include Mexican women surrealists Remedios
Varo and Leonora Carrington. In addition to her own
visual work, she is also a writer, graphic designer,
curator, and arts organizer. Suzanne Sbarge's work
is represented by Nuart Gallery, 670 Canyon Road in
Santa Fe; g2 gallery in Scottsdale, AZ; Galleri Urbane
in Marfa, TX; and Volakis Gallery in Yountville, CA.
|
Back to Suzanne Sbarge art exhibit
>> |
|
|
|
|