Balancing

Susan Lindsay

July 2011

Susan Lindsay's artwork tells a tragic and romantic narrative evoking feelings of absence, tension and nostalgia. Her work is inspired by personal mementos, ordinary daily activities and subjects that reveal a subtle struggle between the calming nature of these images and their rigid, often confined environments. This contrast is further echoed in her choice of materials where soft, delicate fabrics like cotton and wool are often paired with the hard, robust properties of metal and wood.

As the title of the exhibit suggests, Susan explores the theme of finding balance in life through these miniature-like pieces explaining, "Throughout life we balance the repetition of ordinary daily activities until we are interrupted by sudden unexpected events when we are forced into the struggle of finding our balance again."

When asked to summarize her work, Lindsay describes it as intuitive, sad and soft where "lines of wire and thread trace an image, a fragility is explored, a shadow of memory is created, a narrative is woven." These emotions are captured through the use of objects like beds, dresses and small figurines, which have been recurring motifs through most of her artistic career. She is interested in exploring and utilizing new materials that will cast different shadows effects of her work.

Artists like celebrated sculptor Joseph Cornell, textile artist Hannelore Baron and German-born American sculptor Eva Hesse are just some of the many artists that have inspired and influenced Lindsay's enigmatic creations.

Susan Lindsay lives near Dornoch, West Grey. Lindsay has exhibited widely including shows at the Textile Museum of Canada, the Tom Thomson Memorial Art Gallery and the York Quay Gallery at Harbourfront in Toronto. Her work is in permanent collection at the University of Waterloo and has been featured in various Canadian and international journals.