Interview with Susan Jamison

1)First of all,..can you present yourself...?

1)Hello there, my name is Susan Jamison.

2) If your persona were immortalized as a cartooncharacter, who would it be?

2)Maybe a new superhero called resilience girl who just keeps going no matter what happens

3)What is creativity?

3)A skill that allows one to solve problems in a new way without fear .

4)In your capacity as an artist,what do you hope the effect of your work will be on the people?

4)I hope people see aspects of their own experience in my paintings and feel a sense of connection.

5)What are some of your influences and inspirations?

5)I love looking at Persian miniature paintings, anatomy
and nature illustration, Renaissance art, Dutch floral
paintings, all kinds of stuff, even clothing and
fashion photography. I have also been reading an annotated volume of Grimm's Fairy Tales; it has footnotes on all the gross and dirty stuff they had to edit out.

6)What's your favourite mediums(pen,charcoal,paint,canvas,etc.)to work in/on?

6)I work in egg tempera on panel when I paint and in graphite on really beautiful paper like Rives de lin when I draw, very traditional.

7)Who are some of your favorite painters/artists?

7)Giovanna Garzoni, Albrecht Durer, Sandro Botticelli,John James Audubon, Kiki Smith, Yoshitoma Nara,Beatriz Milhazes...too many to name

8)How long does it normally take you to complete a piece of your artwork?

8)1 month to 1 year for a painting, it depends on the scale .

9)What else are you interested in besides visual arts?

9)Food, I love to cook

10)Got any new projects planned?

10) I just started some full size figures on 42"x72"panels

11)How would you describe your art to someone who could not see it?

11)Images of women with their skin decorated in a pink flowery pattern with birds, animals and small household objects; heads reveal inner anatomy-highly symbolic

12)What other talent would most like to have?

12)I wish I had learned to play a musical instrument

13)What is your favourite toy ,game or other artefact from your youth(and do you still own it)?

13)When I was a kid I made furniture for my dollhouse. I liked the idea of a small world within a larger one.It was an escape. I still have some of the furniture,but not the house.

14)Favourite books?

14)My favorite books are from my childhood; Charlotte'sWeb, Stuart little, James and the Giant Peach, those stories still stick with me.

15)Are there any web sites that you would recommend?

15) nyfa.org.

16)What kind of music do you like and do you listen.And is the music important for your art.?

16) I like almost any kind of dance music, 70's funk,disco, Latin music, it helps me keep working in the zone when I am in my studio

17)Any advice do you have for artists?

17)When those people at parties say to you-"so you are an artist, do you sell a lot of your work?' answer back-"yes, how much would you like to spend?"

18)What do you fear the most?
18)The possibility of being without a home

19)Are there certain colours,shapes that you are drawn to?

19)I like hot pink, green like moss, and round shapes

20)Your contacts.E-mail..Links.
20) www.susanjamison.com