Susan Valentine

Artist Statement

In 1973's movie Soylent Green, people who finally relented and opted into suicide to relieve a planet burgeoning with humans As reward, they were shown the most glorious, immersive film depicting the planet’s former natural beauties. It put them back in that time, steeped in that natural beauty. Sure, they got turned into Soylent Green (it’s probably too late to call that a spoiler) but they all died very deeply moved by the sight, the remembrance of their gorgeous blue marble of a planet.

I often wonder: If the natural wonders of this world come to an end and I am one of the few left to help raise it from the ashes… How much of it would I be able to recall fully enough to recreate?
I’m not able to remember a single novel well enough to bring it back. I can’t build a car’s engine. I am pretty sure I don’t have what it takes to recreate any medications—no matter how life-saving—or figure out how electricity works.

BUT if I could create works to communicate the world’s visual spendors... If I could be the one person in our small troupe of survivors who would put together works to call back the beauty that once was, I would be satisfied.

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My work represents the world around me in a pretty realistic way. I begin with photography and end with layers of thin paint. I very much enjoy working on large projects and need to cleanse my palate by then working small. In previous years I have tended to look closely and bring forth the details of small characters from my garden, then needed to balance that with sweeping landscapes.

Currently I am deeply curious about capturing the spirit of that which sustains our bodies. The food we keep ourselves healthy and sated. Like a portrait painter, I'm telling the truth, often with a note of  whimsy.