Bio

Susan Schmidt (b. 1960) is an award-winning artist from Australia. She is a self-taught painter whose work is shaped by a 13-year discipline as an illustrator/designer in the Advertising Industry. She has exhibited in solo and selected shows since 1998 and since 2012 internationally, including the New York Chelsea International Art Competition, Contemporary Istanbul, Singapore Contemporary, and the Rise Art Prize ‘Global Artist of the Year’ award in London. In 2016 by invitation, Susan was artist-in residence at One & Only Reethi Rah, Maldives. Her works are contemporary and figurative with subtle abstract elements and surprises, underpinned by a concern for the environment, sustainable living, and the value of a simpler life. Creating from her Noosa Heads studio, Susan’s works are selected, awarded, and collected nationally and internationally.

Artist Statement

I paint what I know and where I live, inviting appreciation and awareness of the need to conserve the often taken for granted. ‘Seaburbia’ is a series born from this ethos and has been a major part of my practice since first exhibited by selection in ‘The Studio’ at Art Sydney 2009. This continuing series has become an exploration of the cultural memory and shared nostalgia of the quintessential Australian beach house. Painted in acrylic and oil, the works are patterned, layered, and rubbed back to achieve a weatherworn texture recalling the erosion of matter over time and exquisite residue of decay. The underlying layers reveal floral patterns that blur the architecture with the environment and hint at the internal, creating a sense of ‘inside out’. The walls are like a veil between the inside and outside worlds emphasising connection, harmony, and transience. Composed from my own photographs, referencing memories and reminiscing retro colour, they are not intended to be a documentation of specific places but rather a reflection of the essence of coastal living; a recall of a simpler life and a reminder to tread lightly and consider what is left behind.

www.susanschmidtart.com