Arteles Catalogue 2023-2020

Write & Create program / OCTOBER 2022
Susan Hogan
USA
About
I am interested in intersections and connections. I write, draw,
paint, sculpt and perform on occasion with an improv group.
Writing was my first art-love, and I am returning to it (in fiction
and non-fiction) after years spent working in visual art. I have
been a studio artist, educator, and museum professional. I
often use visual materials (photographs, sketches, other
artworks) as a catalyst for writing. I believe that art (in all
its forms) exists to connect us, and to focus our attention,
at least for fleeting moments, on our common condition -
we are human beings. I aspire to create work that touches
people in ways that encourage them to see themselves in
others, and others in themselves, as well as to remember to
appreciate the natural world we share. I am currently focused
on writing non-fiction, and I am finding parallels between the
process of writing and the process of drawing and painting:
each builds from observation, experience, and the free rein
of intuition. Being in nature cultivates intuition, which is my
most important tool, and Arteles will provide fertile ground.
Pay Attention
I came to Arteles expecting to concentrate on writing, with
creating visual art serving as a supporting activity. The
environment around me – natural, creative, communal – led
me another way. I felt called to respond intuitively to what
I was seeing and experiencing through creating drawings
and paintings. I explored mixing media I had never combined
before. I sometimes worked on multiple pieces at the same
time. I did whatever felt right in the moment.
Some of the artworks I created recorded observations of my
external environment, and others sprang from mysterious
places inside me. I think the ones which came from mystery
are the most engaging.
The atmosphere at Arteles links the soul to the sky.