Sue Dion’s paintings draw from two great American traditions, abstract expressionism and Plein Air. But to those traditions, she brings both technical sophistication and humility that invokes her thematic interests in human trafficking and servitude. Her singular approach to the “lost edges” in abstraction communicate her intense focus on the marginalized, and, in some of our most established artistic tropes, awake our awareness of what is on the edges. The color scheme in her paintings is equally sophisticated: any immediate sense of sweetness in her pastels or more saturated colors gives way, on a second viewing, to unexpected depths and darkness. Sue’s recent work can be viewed on her website, suedionart.com as well as at Complement’s Gallery, Smithfield, RI and L’Attitudes Gallery in the SOWA district of Boston.
Statement
I am a painter who is enchanted by the mysteries of nature and find them to be an inexhuastible opportunity for expression. In my work, I strive to communicate my impressions of this bounty through color and movement. Many of my paintings are suggestive of flowers; a homage to my childhood days working and playing amongst benches of blooms as the daughter of a wholesale florist. My paintings often incorporate “lost edges”; those instances where the edge of one thing becomes lost in the shape of another. In this way I try to share my unique vision while allowing the viewer to create their own interpretation of the work. I am captivated by the common threads found in all forms of art, the melodic line of music, the compositional structure of writing, the grace of dance. Each tenant of these disciplines lends itself to all of the others and I enjoy the challenge of representing these commonalities in my paintings.