The Vault: Suzanne Yurdin - Solo Exhibition in the d'Art Center Vault

Artist Statement

"A painting exists in many dimensions and while abstract in nature, my work is revealed as the viewer interprets a narrative of the landscape. I include aquatic, architectural and botanical references, but a single representation is not the aim. My work challenges you to find your own storyline by suggesting natural forms or horizon lines, thereby eliciting an emotional response to a sense of place. Through mark making, layers of paint and the scraping away of strata, the composition of the painting surface mimics the natural progression and erosion seen in nature. The surfaces have an emotional and imperfect quality, expressing the search for the interconnectedness of water, air and the land. While intuitively interpreting those visual clues, the viewer’s challenge lies in the continual process of letting go of the recognizable. Being on the water or in the landscape and painting them fills me with an increased sense of urgency to protect and preserve what is now our vanishing natural environment."

Artist Bio:

Suzanne Yurdin is a contemporary abstract painter who lives and works in Falls Church, VA. As the youngest of four, she was always playing outside or participating in sports. Her paintings pay homage to that love of nature and sense of adventure. The striking landscapes are alive with bold compositions and harmonious layers of color, which convey distance and depth. Employing a distinctive style of mark making and line work, her art has evolved from travels around the world and seeks to offer the viewer a sense of place that suggests the ever-changing landscape.

Yurdin earned a Bachelor of Arts in Art and Art Education from Stephens College and taught painting, drawing and fine crafts in public middle and high schools. She also worked for ten years in visual merchandising where she was a sought-after designer. She is the recipient of multiple awards and has shown for over 28 years in numerous solo and group exhibitions both nationally and internationally. Her painting, “Tempest” was selected for the U.S. State Department’s Arts in Embassies program and currently resides in the United States Ambassador’s residence in Nicosia, Cyprus.

She was an artist in residence at Arlington Arts Center in Arlington, VA from December of 2020 through May of 2021. There she was able to work on a larger scale to explore ideas about the impact on our physical and emotional foundations during the Covid-19 pandemic. For the past several years, the increasing urgency for action to combat climate change is the creative driving force behind her work. Why aren’t we protecting our sense of place?