- Susan Powers
Susan Powers (born in 1954 in
Glen Cove, New York ) is a self-taught Americanartist who began painting in 1979, encouraged by a friend and fellow painter who had seen her expressive pencil drawings. Only a year later, her work had been accepted for display by the prestigiousJay Johnson Folk Heritage Gallery inNew York City . In 1980, Powers spent a year inEngland andFrance developing her craft, before returning to the U.S.The
folk art still lifes of Susan Powers have been compared with thetrompe l'oeil works of the well-known 19th–century American academic artistWilliam Harnett . Like Harnett, Powers is fascinated with common everyday objects — books, seashells, bottles, and teapots — and she renders them in a manner so lifelike they ‘fool the eye’ of the viewer, almost leading the viewer to believe that the objects themselves are present on the canvas. The trompe l’oeil technique is uncommon with folk artists: some folk artists cannot produce a photograph–like image.Her paintings are in many permanent collections, including the
Smithsonian Institution inWashington, D.C. and theAmerican Museum inBath, England . Her works have been exhibited in numerous museums, including theBede Gallery , Jarrow, England, theWoodspring Museum ,Weston-super-Mare , England, the Camden Arts Center, London, the Haworth Art Gallery, London, and at theWhite House in Washington, D.C.Ms. Powers attended the
University of Vermont , where she studied classical languages and medieval history, graduating in 1976 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in European Studies. She lives in Westchester County, New York, with her husband and daughter and their too many cats and dogs.Artwork
"” The still lifes of Susan Powers have been compared with the trompe l’oeil works of the well-known 19th–century American academic artist William Harnett. Like Harnett, Powers is fascinated with common everyday objects — books seashells, bottles, and teapots — and she renders them in a manner so lifelike they ‘fool the eye’ of the viewer, almost leading the viewer to believe that the objects themselves are present on the canvas. The trompe l’oeil technique is uncommon with folk artists: some folk artists cannot produce a photograph–like image...”"
American Folk Art of the Twentieth Century Jay Johnson & William C. Ketchum, Jr. (Rizzoli International, New York, NY 1983)
External links
* [http://www.susanpowers.us Artist's Web Site]
* [http://www.americanmuseum.org American Museum, Bath, England]
* [http://ww2.hyndburnbc.gov.uk/Your_Council/Leisure_Services/HAG/Rooms/Haworth_Art_Gallery.htm Haworth Art Gallery, London]References
* Johnson, Jay & Ketchum, William, "American Folk Art of the Twentieth Century". Rizzoli International: 1983. ISBN 0-8478-0503-4.
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