Susan Tooke at Long Branch Studios

Back to elm street studio. Summer has lots of distractions.  It is a time for gathering ideas, working in the garden, traveling, hiking, socializing.   Ideas from Shannon Falls, BC have stuck with me... Here is the latest work from the studio.

I had the great pleasure and opportunity to work with the poetry of George Elliott Clarke earlier this year. Lasso the Wind: Aurélia's Verses and Other Poems will be out this fall.  Here are several illustrations... a bit of a preview!

Bog Trail, Cape Breton Lately, I have been working on paper, creating pieces for the Paper show at Gallery Page and Strange.  The show opens on Friday, February 15, 6-8 p.m.  To quote the gallery: "This exhibition is focusing on paper. We bring elements of the artists studio into the gallery so you can see parts of the process too. Sketch books and initial works on paper are on display to give you a sense of what really lies behind the artworks that you love. Not only is it fascinating to see the history of a work of art, it is beautiful. This exhibition is fantastic for a new collector. Works on paper will be available and often cost significantly less than a fully realized canvas. Work on paper in a private collection loans a sense of sophistication and deeper appreciation of what it is an artist does." Hope to see you there!

Back to my painting after a Titanic interlude and the MASC conference for young illustrators and writers in Ottawa.  It is an enjoyable, if intense, process to paint for me: to interpret more than with optical accuracy, but to still retain the emotional connection to the landscape.   I am freed from the pedantic! Cape Breton Spring 48" x 60" acrylic on wood panel                                 

We had an exciting rehearsal today, with all of the pieces coming together... Lukas Pearse creating an electroacoustic score, real-time video processing.  Infra-red sensors allow for Veronique MacKenzie to enter the animations; her exquisite choreography touches the heart.  I am so happy to be part of this collaboration.  Tim Tracey was invaluable in his technical and artistic advice. The following are several stills from the animation/videos.

A waterfall within a damp ravine of the rainforest in Goldstream Provincial Park, BC, I worked from a study done on site.  By further simplifying and abstracting the image, I drew the lines of movement and the exaggerated angles formed as rock and trees collapse toward the forest floor.

Veronique MacKenzie (dancer/choreographer), Lukas Pearse (sound designer) and I have been working on a collaborative project involving movement, animation, and sound, with each of these elements responding and interacting with the other.  Last night at Nocturne in Halifax, we presented our explorations  to the public.  A truly absorbing and expanding experience, working with these two great professionals in other disciplines.  Thanks to Richard Rudnicki for help with set up, take down and photography.  Here are some images from last night. View of crowd at gate with one of the projections above. Looking down Granville Street with projection down the block. Lukas Pearse, with his complex technical setup was the master puppeteer. At 9, Lukas went off to another gig, after instructing me on how to run the sound, blend the videos with the live dance.  View from Granville Street with all three projections.   All of the projections were ...

A lily pond at midsummer:  how do you paint this subject without the cloying sweetness that florals often have, and yet maintain the feeling of 'pond'?  The dominant blue green suggests a gentler landscape; in the stillness of dawn wet grasses and lily pads balance in damp air and pond water.

The south shore of Nova Scotia -- the spruce trees clinging to the rocky ground, the tidal pools left behind amid the worn granite of the shoreline.  My solo exhibition at Gallery Page and Strange continues through August 26.

My trip to Sable, and friendship with Zoe Lucas has moved my studio painting into fresh ground with room for imagination and experimentation.  Discovering the feeling of a place, and examining my own emotional response while experiencing an environment has led me to a new way of seeing the world. 

Today I put the final touches on the illustrations for my next book with Shauntay Grant and Nimbus Publishing called The City Speaks in Drums.  I have been working on this in one form or another since last July... a long haul, but I am happy with the illustrations.  Once again, I was working with members of our community on this book based in Halifax, following the adventures of two boys as they explore the city. Thanks to Dante and Chris, two very patient young men, and the stars of the book.

Now, for all of you who wonder how we manage to make ends meet, here is Richard working hard to supplement our income.  Well, actually, he is posing for  The City Speaks in Drums.  Great job, Richard!  We swooped down on the Public Gardens, and Richard demonstrated his technique learned from a quick lesson on Youtube.  We left in a flash right after hearing a child say "Look, Mom!  He's going to play the spoons!".  

It is harder than it looks, but Andrew manages to "whip air to the beat" with some advice from a passerby... another detail. Models are very sympathetic, lending their personalities to the creative process. Behind, sitting on the bench, a local celebrity helps support the pigeon population, wings mimic the flying dreadlocks.

Starting to post, and finding that people know, people recognize this fellow intent on his crossword outside the public library. I am interested in dissecting my paintings, finding small parts that become a passage unto themselves. Capturing the fleeting moment, holding it in your hand, in your mind's eye, then returning to it months later to examine it once again.