Lockdown Artist's Statement
Lockdown has fortunately been a creative and productive period for me. In mid-March, in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, I began a series on paper to help me make sense of our rapidly changing world. Simultaneously, I have also been working on a mixed media piece with an accompanying website.:
As a figurative artist, no longer able to work with live models due to social distancing, I began re-imagining the figurative work of the old masters. This series on paper combines classic figures with Greek and Roman mythology to tell the story of current day mythology. It is reassuring and comforting to me that these classics and ancients suggest that history is repeating itself. It also gives me hope that we will get through our current health and humanitarian crises.
Although my pre-Covid work was well-received and appropriate for its time, with the world in upheaval, I found it necessary to change my creative course. During lockdown the focus of my work shifted from my own individual interests, to a narrative of our collective ecosystem. I suddenly found a whole new voice as an artist, and it turns out, I have a lot to say. Ironically, rather than addressing the isolation and loneliness aspects of social distancing, my lockdown work explores our connectedness, for better or for worse, as we collectively confront our new world.
The process of re-imagining master drawings is often meticulous and time consuming, which has been ideal during these long, uncertain days of self-isolation. The delicacy and details of the hand renderings create an unexpected preciousness, that contrasts with our age of technology, and in my opinion, demands special consideration.
An additional, and equally important, part of my lockdown work is an oil painting collage, US History (forgotten), and its companion website.:
In January 2020, I began work on this 4 x 4 foot work on canvas that addresses basic US history that I was never taught in school. While creating the art piece, I felt hampered by its limitations to tell such a vast and complicated story, so I simultaneously built this accompanying website.
I am also creating 60 second videos which support and bring attention to US History "forgotten".
All of my lockdown work has been a labor of love, and continues to be a series in progress. It makes me proud to hear viewers refer to my lockdown work as important anti-racism work. There is so much out of our control, focusing on this as my contribution to healing our nation has been a joy.
I was born in New Orleans, but have lived most of my life in San Francisco. I did postgraduate studies in painting at SF Art Academy. Today my home and studio are both in Santa Monica, CA.
The Louvre Museum's retweet of Susan's Work.:
April 8, 2020
Lockdown Artist Challenge
by Jacques-Louis David
La Mort de Marat
by M Susan Broussard
Reimagining David's La Mort de Marat
CV
Born in New Orleans, LA.
Has lived most of life in San Francisco and Santa Monica, CA.
Education
Academy of Art, SF, Masters of Fine Arts (Painting) Program, San Francisco, CA.
Le Cordon Bleu, Paris, France.
Representation
Saatchi Art
https://www.saatchiart.com/account/artworks/297471
Artist Residency
2019-2020 18th St Arts Center Airport Campus, Santa Monica, CA
2019 Contemporary Irish Arts Center Los Angeles at Bergamot Station, Los Angeles, CA.
Organizes
Weekly Lockdown Art Challenge, From March 16th, 2020 to present.
Brentwood Art Center Uninstructed Figurative Workshop, Los Angeles, CA.
CIACLA Uninstructed Figurative Workshop, Los Angeles, CA.
The Getty Center: Drawing with the Masters, Los Angeles, CA.
Awards
Brand 40 National Works on Paper, Brand Library, Pasadena, CA.
Professional Affiliations
Women’s Painters West
Exhibitions
2020 "Facing Darkness", 18th St Arts Center online exhibition
2020 "Drawing Connections" Exhibition, 18th St Arts Center Airport Campus, Santa Monica, CA
2019 Z Art Academy Exhibition, Los Angeles, CA.
2019 18th Street Airport Campus's WestEdge Open Studio, Santa Monica, CA.
2019 "Transformations" Exhibition, 18th Street Arts Center Airport Campus, Santa Monica, CA.
2019 Student Faculty Exhibition, Brentwood Art Center, Los Angeles, CA.
2019 Only Hearts, Santa Monica, CA.
2019 Montana Avenue Art Walk, Santa Monica, CA.
2018 Only Hearts, Santa Monica, CA.
Montana Avenue Art Walk, Santa Monica, CA.
2017 Student Faculty Exhibition, Brentwood Art Center, Los Angeles, CA.
2016 Montana Avenue Holiday Walk, Santa Monica, CA.
Student Faculty Exhibition, Brentwood Art Center, Los Angeles, CA.
2015 Student Faculty Exhibition, Brentwood Art Center, Los Angeles, CA.
Espresso Cielo’s, Santa Monica, CA.
2014 Student Faculty Exhibition, Brentwood Art Center, Los Angeles, CA.
2013 Student Faculty Exhibition, Brentwood Art Center, Los Angeles, CA.
Café Montana, Santa Monica, CA.
2012 Laguna Beach College of Art and Design, Student Faculty Exhibition, Brentwood Art Center, Los Angeles, CA.
17th Street Café, Santa Monica, CA.
2011 "Brand Annual National Exhibition of Works on Paper", Brand Library and Art Center, Glendale, CA.
Student Faculty Exhibition, Brentwood Art Center, Los Angeles, CA.
2010 Student Faculty Exhibition, Brentwood Art Center, Los Angeles, CA.
2009 Student Faculty Exhibition, Brentwood Art Center, Los Angeles, CA.
Press
June 26th, 2020, 18th Street Arts Center, 18@HOME, Featured artist in online newsletter.
2020 The Louvre Museum, Paris, Liked and retweeted my artwork on Twitter.
2020 The Getty Museum, Los Angeles, Liked my artwork on Twitter.
Photos
Figurative Workshops and The Getty Center Lectures
Brentwood Art Center Figurative Workshops - In wake of Covid-19 Pandemic, all workshops indefinitely discontinued. This year celebrates the 5th anniversary of creating and running the uninstructed figurative workshops at Brentwood Art Center. At the time, due to L.A.'s astronomical real estate, a string of artists lost their studios, sadly ending most of the Westside's figurative workshops. I approached BAC about me organizing and running an uninstructed figurative workshop as part of their community outreach. Being a non-profit art school, BAC generously allows our twice weekly workshops to be affordably priced and welcoming to artists of all levels. My goal is to hire diverse models celebrating all skin colors, races, ages and sizes. These models, along with our workshop artists, are a lovely group of people I feel lucky to call my art community.
Brentwood Art Center www.brentwoodartcenter.com 13031 Montana Ave. (at 26th St.), Los Angeles, CA. 90049 Tel: (310) 451-5657 Email: info@brentwoodart.com
CIACLA (Contemporary Irish Arts Center Los Angeles) Figureative Workshops - In wake of Covid-19 Pandemic, all workshops indefinitely discontinued. After two years of discussions on both sides of the pond the wonderful and generous people at CIACLA have allowed the dream of a monthly uninstructed figurative workshop at CIACLA's newly opened art center at Bergamont Station to become a reality. Aside from hosting our workshops, CIACLA supports Irish and local artists in a multidisciplinary program of visual arts, theatre, performance, dance, music, literature, design, film. and comedy.
CIACLA (Contemporary Irish Arts Centre Los Angeles) www.ciacla.com Bergamot Station, 2525 Michigan Ave,., Suite B1, Santa Monica, CA. 90404 Email: info@ciacla.com
The Getty Center Lectures - In wake of Covid-19 Pandemic, all museum tours and lectures indefinitely discontinued. Along with everyone else in attendance, I was exhilarated by what was supposed to be a one-off Getty lecture by the extraordinarily talented Zhenya Gershman. A gifted speaker, she has uniquely mastered the art of wearing all three hats of artist, art historian and teacher. Her wealth of knowledge comes from years of extensive research and 11 years of working at the Getty. I urged her to create a series of lectures and help her organize them.
The Getty Center www.getty.edu 1200 Getty Center Dr., Los Angeles CA 90049 Email: visitorservices@getty.edu
Brentwood Art Center
Brentwood Art Center
Brentwood Art Center
Uninstructed Figurative Workshops
The Getty Center
Brentwood Art Center
Brentwood Art Center
Drawing With the Masters by Zhenya
CIACLA at Bergamot
Brentwood Art Center
CIACLA at Bergamot
Uninstructed Figurative Workshops
Copyright © 2020 M Susan Broussard - All Rights Reserved.