Susan Fraser-Hughes - Artworks

Lands Formed Series
On the odd occasion and usually when we least expect it, we happen upon something that captures our interest and ignites our imagination. The Cromeleque of the Almendres did exactly this for me. Located in Guadalupe, two hours from Lisbon, Portugal, and twelve kilometers west of Evora, the Cromeleque of the Almendres, is one of the largest groups of menhirs to have been erected on the Iberia Peninsula. The site consists of ninety-two menhirs, all of varying shapes and sizes. Some of the stones bear evidence of ancient carvings. Others are marked by time alone. It is thought that the Cromeleque of the Almendres was created in different phases throughout the Neolithic period (the 5th to the 4th millennia BC) and used for religious functions as well as acting as a primitive astronomical observatory. The stones are arranged as two enclosures, erected in different, distinct epochs and aligned to accord with the equinoxes. A tall, singular menhir stands a distance apart. Allowed to wander freely, I was captivated by this site. Places, like the Cromeleque of the Almendres, remind us how small a part we play as individuals in the overall scale of history. Paradoxically they reaffirm that no matter how small the part we play, the marks we make will often linger. The menhirs of the Almendres are a land formed by time and people.
	Before Dawn - 2007 charcoal on mylar, 22.5 cm x 39 cm
	Awakening - 2007 charcoal on mylar, 20 cm x 44 cm
	Alone - 2007 charcoal on mylar, 42.5 cm x 25.5 cm
	Ecliptic - 2007 charcoal on mylar, 42.5 cm x 25.5 cm
	Keynote - 2007 charcoal on mylar, 42.5 cm x 25.5 cm
	Twilight - 2007 charcoal on mylar, 42.5 cm x 25.5 cm
	Moonscape - 2007 charcoal on mylar, 17 cm x 49 cm
	Assemblage - 2007 charcoal on mylar, 10 cm x 49 cm
	Terrestrial - 2007 charcoal on mylar, 32 cm x 46 cm
	In Wait - 2007 charcoal on mylar, 24 cm x 44 cm
	Tactile - 2007 charcoal on mylar, 27 cm x 44 cm
	Simplicity - 2007 charcoal on mylar, 24 cm x 42 cm
	Pentamerous - 2007 charcoal on mylar, 34 cm x 41 cm
	Relaxed - 2007 charcoal on mylar, 34 cm x 37 cm
	Surreal - 2007 charcoal on mylar, 17 cm x 51 cm
	Dreamscape - 2007 charcoal on mylar, 23 cm x 50 cm
	Entrapped - 2007 charcoal on mylar, 33 cm x 33 cm
	Moonlight - 2008 oil, oil pastel on linen, 40 cm x 43 cm
	Conversation - 2008 oil, oil pastel on linen, 39 cm x 42 cm
	Turning - 2008 oil, oil pastel on linen, 38 cm x 45 cm
	Family - 2008 oil, oil pastel on linen, 35 cm x 56 cm
	First Light - 2008 oil, oil pastel on linen, 29 cm x 38 cm
	Kinder - 2008 oil, oil pastel on linen, 30 cm x 38 cm
	The Ancients - 2008 oil, oil pastel on linen, 34 cm x 68 cm
	Ritual - 2008 oil, oil pastel on linen, 33 cm x 45 cm
	The Beginning - 2008 oil, oil pastel on linen, 30 cm x 38 cm
	Coexistence - 2008 oil, oil pastel on linen, 15 cm x 84 cm
	Vitality - 2008 oil, oil pastel on linen, 121 cm x 70 cm
	Strength - 2008 oil, oil pastel on linen, 121 cm x 70 cm
	Contemplation - 2008 oil, oil pastel on linen, 121 cm x 70 cm
	Keystone - 2008 oil, oil pastel on linen, 152 cm x 89 cm
	Solitary - 2008 oil, oil pastel on linen, 196 cm x 91 cm
Trees Series
	When Darkness Meets the Light 1 - 2007 charcoal on mylar, 152 cm x 91 cm
	When Darkness Meets the Light 2 - 2007 charcoal on mylar, 152 cm x 91 cm
	When Darkness Meets the Light 3 - 2007 charcoal on mylar, 152 cm x 91 cm
Sentinel Series
	Sentinel 1 - 2006 charcoal on mylar, 61 cm x 61 cm
	Sentinel 2 - 2006 charcoal on mylar, 61 cm x 61 cm
	Sentinel 4 - 2006 charcoal on mylar, 61 cm x 61 cm
Sandscape Series
My sandscape series documents a walk I took along a beach in Western Australia. It was the small details that drew me in, the micro landscape that changed so immensely, yet so subtly within such a small distance. I knew, that if I walked along the beach tomorrow, in a month, in a year each of these scenes would be different. The sandscape is an environment in a constant state of transition.
	Sandscape #2 - 2005 charcoal on mylar, 50 cm x 170 cm
Cambridge Series
Doors, doorways and passageways were becoming repetitive motifs in my work. They were beginning to symbolize the connections I was making between the past, the present and the future and between inside and outside spaces. My Cambridge series is in two parts: a series of five mixed media images on mylar, and a series of forty patina and asphalt images on steel, copper and brass. In each piece, the same image, a doorway in Cambridge is explored, yet only a fragment of information is present in each. A viewer must look from one picture to the next to gain a sense of the image in its entirety.
	Glance #1 - 2003 alkyd paint, asphalt, charcoal on mylar, 127 cm x 80 cm
	Glance #5 - 2003 alkyd paint, asphalt, charcoal on mylar, 127 cm x 80 cm
	At A Glance - 2004 rust, steel, brass, copper, asphalt, 60 cm x 30 cm (each element) [some elements sold]
	At A Glance (three elements) - 2004 rust and asphalt on steel, 60 cm x 30 cm (each element)
	At A Glance (single element) - 2004 rust, steel, brass, copper, asphalt, 60 cm x 30 cm
	At A Glance (single element) - 2004 rust, steel, brass, copper, asphalt, 60 cm x 30 cm
	At A Glance (two elements) - 2004 rust, steel, brass, copper, asphalt, 60 cm x 30 cm (each element)
	At A Glance (three elements) - 2004 rust, steel, brass, copper, asphalt, 60 cm x 30 cm (each element)
	At A Glance (two elements) - 2004 rust, steel, brass, copper, asphalt, 60 cm x 30 cm (each element)
Granville Island Series
Often the scenes we just happen upon, have the most lasting impact. I saw the inspiration for this series as I was disembarking from a small ferry onto Granville Island in Vancouver. There beneath the piers, was an enticing world of mystic, decay, light and darkness. I approached my portrayal of the image in two ways. In my first series, I created three black and white drawings in charcoal. In these, I wanted to explore the play I had seen between light and shadows. In the second series, I began to explore the deterioration of materials. This series is created on large sheets of steel. The surfaces have been covered in vinegar and allowed to patina for a number of days. As the vinegar evaporates and oxidization takes places, beautiful browns, reds and oranges appear. This is my colour palette. Asphalt painted over the surface gives me my darkness, and the polishing of metal in selective areas, my light. These pieces are changing with time. As the process of patina continues, the colours become more and more intense.
	Portal #1 - 2000 charcoal on mayfair, 153 cm x 110 cm
	Portals - 2000 charcoal on mayfair, 153 cm x 110 cm (each) [installation photograph]
	Portals - 2001 rust and asphalt on steel, 224 cm x 123 cm (each) [installation photograph]
	Portal #1 - 2001 rust and asphalt on steel, 224 cm x 123 cm
	Portal #2 - 2001 rust and asphalt on steel, 224 cm x 123 cm [detail]
	Portal #3 - 2001 rust and asphalt on steel, 224 cm x 123 cm [detail]
	Portal #3 - 2001 rust and asphalt on steel, 224 cm x 123 cm [detail]
Artworks (sold)
	Sentinel 3 - 2006 charcoal on mylar, 61 cm x 61 cm SOLD
	Calm Before the Storm - 2007 charcoal on mylar, 61 cm x 61 cm SOLD
	Glance #2 - 2003 alkyd paint, asphalt, charcoal on mylar, 127 cm x 80 cm SOLD
	Glance #3 - 2003 alkyd paint, asphalt, charcoal on mylar, 127 cm x 80 cm SOLD
	Glance #4 - 2003 alkyd paint, asphalt, charcoal on mylar, 127 cm x 80 cm SOLD