Artworks by Susannah Perry

I'm so over this whole non-creative vibe I've got going on.  There is a thunderstorm outside right now and I just want to be home painting instead of chained to this desk.  Its when I'm here that things start to happen in my mind and so I'll try and grab a piece of paper and sketch but by the time I get home I'm so drained that just the thought of sorting through paints and brushes makes me exhausted.  I'm pregnant.  Have I mentioned that?  Of course not.  Nobody knows and its kind of bubbling out of me and I've got to tell someone.  I figure this is safe enough since nobody knows it exists.  I am.  I'm pregnant.  I was pregnant this time last year to but I had a miscarriage.  It was the third one that my husband and I have had.  I think that's why I refuse to get excited about this pregnancy yet.  I'm jus waiting for it to all go very wrong.  Thoughts like that don't really inspire much creativity...

I get so frustrated with myself as a painter sometimes.  Knowing that there are artists out there who paint all day every day is just amazing to me.  Besides, obviously, having really tired arms, I wonder what I would turn out if I were able to have that kind of discipline, not to mention that kind of time...

I’ve said that I find inspiration in everything that has happened to me, the things that have made me smile, laugh, or cry and the moments that have stuck with me.  That’s true without a doubt.  But sometimes I’ll try and translate something to canvas that I’ve seen and I am nearly always disappointed.

This probably comes from the whole “self-taught” thing.  See...I kind of can’t draw.  No, like REALLY...I CANNOT draw.  Its a little sad.  So I’ve been thinking about signing for some classes, either drawing or painting, or maybe both.  I think it would do me a world of good.

I’ve kind of hit this point of frustration where everything I paint looks the same to me.  I’m sure that’s not the case, we are our own worst critics.  Recently I submitted a few pieces for a juried show and was rejected.  I took it pretty harshly so this might be why the taking classes thing has been on the front of my mind lately.

Or maybe this accounts for the recent dabbling in photography, who knows.  I've had more training in photography than I ever did as a painter...

Reading over this, I find myself a little embarrassed at how many times I’ve used the word “I”...

Thank you for allowing me to share my work with you.  My name is Susannah C. Perry and I am a painter living in Augusta, GA.  I consider my style of painting very unusual and I hope that the photographs that I have sent you will demonstrate that.

Many people use art as an outlet for their pain, sorrow, and anger but that has never appealed to me.  I use my work as an expression of the experiences that have given me the most joy.  I paint my memories and impressions of breathtaking places, wonderful relationships, and the emotions that have consumed my heart throughout my life.

Each blank canvas is an opportunity.  I rarely begin a piece with a plan or a drawing.  But every time I begin a new painting, I am remembering a time or an event where I was immersed in the joy of my life.  Each canvas is a chance to recreate something that has shaped the person I am today.

I am so excited to see how the incredible happiness and love in my life right now will translate to canvas in the future.  So many people say that each moment of happiness, joy, fear, and love is fleeting and that we should enjoy it while it lasts because in the blink of an eye it will be gone forever.  Through my paintings, I am able to continuously live the wonderful experiences that I have had so far in my brief existence.  I can only hope that the future will provide me with as much inspiration that the past has given.

Again, I want to thank you for the opportunity to share my work and I look forward to hearing from you.  Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions regarding my paintings.  Thank you so much.