&
nature
Holding onto Juneau, statement
Karen Suderman, statement
Holding onto Juneau
It’s been more than a year now since my husband and I arrived in Juneau. As a constant observer of details in nature, I feel taken back by the grandeur of it all. How could I ever take it all in, or with me?
You can’t hold onto the vast landscape, keep the snow or capture the wildlife with any one view. But you can experience it all in instants. That is all it will lend you, because in its permanence it changes constantly.
One step after another, you will never see the same horizon. You can’t recreate the force of a glacier that focuses so much energy on being compact, the soft relief that winter can bring after the rain, the innate respect of things larger than yourself, or the glory in a person’s kindness here.
You can only partake in its fullness for a moment, and then hold on to who you are because of it.
This collection is who I am, holding onto Juneau.
Show this September
I’m so thankful for the opportunity to show recent works this September at the Juneau Art and Culture Center. I was selected by the Juneau Arts and Humanities Council for a solo exhibition. It’s exciting to think that all of my works will be made in Juneau too. This of course means pulling from the nature Alaska has to offer. Everything is in bloom here (except for berries, I’m told they are ready to pick in late July or August). It seems fitting to push myself to produce a full show.
The “First Friday” opening is September 5th, 2008. The exhibit is available to see throughout September.
Low Tide
Not much to say, other than I’m overwhelmed by Alaska’s accessible beauty. I wish I could share it with everyone that has ever inspired me.
New Home, New Medium
The jury is back… Alaska is awesome. Nature certainly wins. I’m trying watercolor, a new medium for me. I’m enjoying the color, but trying to harness the instant, verses years of working the oil. It’s a relief to release just a little glimpse of the beauty here.
My first landscape in watercolor. Alan and I went for a long drive to find the end of Juneau. This scene is near the Shrine of Saint Therese.
Transition
I’m excited about the opportunity to blog and likewise try to spend more time on my own artwork. Lately, I am most observant of my own approach to each piece. Both the oil on canvas and the fresco on marble dust panel offer boundaries in the process of how I produce each painting. I am interested in the balance of subjectivity and observation, the pull of abstract from real, and the ability to express fully within these limits and freedoms.
I took down my show today at Vin Bistro. The piece above included. Surrounded by past work is not my favorite way to approach a new piece, but this week I’m going to make it work for me 🙂
Karen Suderman: 