“Inspired by the many Lakes of Prince Edward County, this painting is part of body of work entitled “Mystical Lakes”. My quiet celebration of “the lake” and the symbol of tranquility it represents in my life. I experiment with the atmospheric effects of light and weather on the lake’s surface through the ancient medium of encaustic painting, which consists of fusing layers of oil pigment and wax.

A constant companion since childhood, the lake grounds my memories of family pilgrimages, whereby we would picnic by the water’s edge and swim in its cool embrace. These experiences often culminated with the watching of the setting sun as it would glisten on the lake’s surface. The lake appeals to all of my senses. The smell of the lake carried by the breeze caresses my skin. I am constantly aware of the ever-changing and shifting visualizations of the lake depending on the time of day, season and weather.”

“I have been a long time admirer of the ceramic work by Bill Greaves. His unique glazes, earthy palettes and luscious textures have always appealed to me. We both love texture in our art practices. I was honoured to have Bill purchase one of my paintings. He mentioned the idea of producing a ceramic piece to ‘pair’ with it and the premise for this show was born.

In my encaustic painting ‘Deep Waters’ I echoed the palette and textures in Bill’s vessel. I saw the textured blue glaze of the bottom as the rippling of the water’s surface and the neutral top portion of the vessel as the skies above. Take a look inside the vessel. The luscious interior cannot go unnoticed. I echoed this texture in my brushstroke in the clouds in my piece.

The end result. A perfect ‘pairing’.”

“Susan’s layered brushstrokes, drips and marks foreground the viscous three-dimensionality of her medium: wax.

Put your face close and the surface approaches bas-relief. Back away and the marks blend—but the surface remains thick. It is luminous. You wonder if something is glowing behind.

It was the object-like presence of the wax marks that stayed with me as I started making. I decided to imagine each brushstroke as an object in space—and to join them in a way that blurred adjacencies, only partly subsuming the objects to a composition.

It also felt important to make an object you could see through—a way of accompanying the translucency of the wax. ”