Artist Statement

Six years ago I began working with razor blades as my primary media. Previously, my work was traditional, as I was an oil painter concentrating on the human figure. The jump from painter, to an artist working with everyday materials evolved naturally as I learned to pare down my content.

I was working on paintings depicting my experiences with sadness, anger, and frustration. While I was painting, I was also collecting various materials that have personal significance such as jeans, prescription ads, labels, bottles, and pills. At the time, I had no idea what I was going to do with these materials, but I knew I needed to save them for future projects.

When I realized the figure was no longer relevant in my work, I moved to razor blades and my collected items. It was exciting to learn how to convey feelings of the universal psyche through manipulation of objects rather than illustrating on canvas.

The act of creating my artwork is obsessive. Repetition, as metaphor, is vital in the process. The interaction between positive and negative space, surface, texture, pattern, and design, are all aspects in my work. I strive to change the context of ordinary objects by presenting them in a new way.

Creating order out of chaos is important in my work, which reflects the need for control in my life. I develop systems that are meticulous, and methodical.

-Susan Noyes