In Memory of Laurie Sucher

I wish to convey the unseen through what is seen. There I think I follow an ancient tradition of art-makers. Most of the time I focus on living subjects - people, still-lifes or landscapes - with the aim of showing, with color, line and form, a reality that underlies the natural world. Portraits in particular point the way to a direct apprehension of other people, with their unique personalities and psychological truths. But other objects can also be said to be portrayed, and I aim for the essence of each individual person, house, piece of fruit, landscape, flower, or object.  And that essence, of course, is filtered through my perception, so that what emerges is actually a portrait of myself in relation to whatever it is that I've chosen to look at, unique to those moments and that particular point of view.

I value drawing as the basis of the dynamic play that animates the kind of painting I aspire to. I aim for the harmonic combination of visual elements of color, hue, line, brushstroke, negative and positive spaces, form and shadow. Finally, these visual elements often suggest a narrative thread.

Our collective sense has always been that another reality tantalizingly and mysteriously exists alongside what we see. Paradoxically, realism, for me, is the path to that other dimension. All the arts are paths to that place. Whatever the obstacles along the path - no shortage of them, either - the visual arts are a touchstone to console and inspire us. All the arts put us back on a path of joy, and all the arts spring from one source.

Visit Laurie Sucher's personal website.