Susan Gough
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My work explores ideas to do with time, memory, loss and the human condition. Since my degree, where I used landscape as a metaphor for the human psyche, I find I still refer to TJ Clark’s essay, Jackson Pollock’s Abstraction, Reconstructing Modernism*, where he talks of “the mud and the sheen”, expressing how we are rooted in the mud and filth, yet always aspire to the stars. I tend to work in series, which is another way of expressing time’s passage.
Seasonal changes in the landscape through colour and texture and tally marks are a way of expressing passing time; time taken to live a life and time taken to make a work. Life is nothing without repetition; it provides the framework from which we can explore creativity.
Expressive use of mark making and the evidence of the artists’ hand are important to me. I have recently been doing quite a lot of crochet and knitting and found that textile construction has crept into some of the pieces; the idea of a length of yarn, a line, by being knotted or looped can produce a textile surface is another aspect that I sometimes bring into my practice. Everything is dealing with time and surface.
The push and pull of making paintings, the dual struggle of instinctive mark making and intellectual appraisal is a continual process and keeps the tension alive within the work.
More recently, I have begun to explore painting as a three dimensional object; I am interested in how a painting might occupying a space and interact with other artworks nearby. To this end I am in the process of applying to Teeside University for a place on the AA2A scheme; the use of their workshops will enable me to be more ambitious with this study.
Exhibitions
2015:
September/October: solo show, title to be confirmed. The White Room Gallery, Priestleys, No.36 Bootham, York
June 6/7th, 13/14th, North Yorkshire Open Studios
March 28th - May 17th, Democracy Rocks! The Gallery, Ryedale Folk Museum, Hutton le Hole, North Yorkshire. De-commissioned ballot boxes re-imagined by professional artists and young people from schools and communities.
Jan/Feb, International Postcard Show, Surface Gallery, Nottingham.
2014:
October 11th – 12th, Islington Contemporary Art and Design Fair, Part 2. (By invitation to submit).
July 25th – August 17th, Aspects of the Moors, Ryedale ArtWorks group show, Danby visitor centre, North York Moors National Park, Danby.
July 3rd – 30th, Drawings, The White Room Gallery, Priestley’s No.36 Bootham, York. Showing with Sally Taylor, Lyn Wait.
March 17th – April 11th, “SKETCH 2013”, touring to Plymouth College of Art
March 10th – 17th,Wobudong, Piccadilly Place, Manchester a group pop up exhibition exploring text without meaning.
Jan 15th – 18th February, International Postcard Show, Surface Gallery, Nottingham
Jan – Feb, “SKETCH 2013”, touring to Black Swan Arts Centre, Frome, Somerset.
2013:
Sept. 16th – Oct, “SKETCH 2013”, Rabley Drawing Centre, Marlborough, Wilts.
Sept. 16th, for two weeks; I was represented on “I am Access Art” pages of the Access Art web site. My pages were then transferred to their archive. I was the first artist to be selected for this initiative. www.accessart.org.uk
March 29th – April 28th, “Marking Time”. Solo exhibition, The Gallery, Ryedale Folk Museum, Hutton le Hole, North, Yorkshire.
23rd February - 28th April, Ferens Open, Ferens Gallery, Hull.
29th January - 25th February. International Postcard Show, Surface Gallery, Nottingham.
2012:
September. “The Great North Art Show”, Ripon Cathedral. Open submission.
2011: “
DJ Selections”, touring in the Duckett and Jeffreys Gallery Caravan.
“East Coast Open”, Scarborough.
Sept/Oct: “ArtFest”, a celebration of work by members of Ryedale ArtWorks, Duckett and Jeffreys Gallery, Malton, North Yorkshire.
Education and Qualifications:
2000 - 2003
City and Guilds Further and Adult Education Teaching Certificate 7307, Parts 1 and 2.
1990 – 1995
Surrey Institute, Farnham (now UCA). BA (hons) Fine Art, painting. (Part-time) Upper second.
1988 – 1990
Basingstoke College of Technology
Part-time Pre-Degree Foundation Course, Art and Design
1987 – 1988
Open College of the Arts. Inaugural Foundation course and summer school.
Employment:
2011 - 2015
Volunteer Gallery Assistant to the manager, The Gallery, Ryedale Folk Museum, Hutton le Hole, North Yorkshire.
September 1995 – Spring 2005.
Tutor, Art and Design, on full time courses and on the Adult Education Programme, Queen Mary’s College, Basingstoke.
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