Reflections: Susan Goldsmith

"In her exquisitely stylized images of nature--trees, skies, water; flowers, against the background of a garden or a pond, painter Susan Goldsmith conjures up memories, even if we have never seen the places or things she pictures. Originally trained as a printmaker, Goldsmith continually experiments with process, layering color and light. Gold, Palladium or Platinum leaf infuse each painting with a seductive beauty, even when the eye isn’t immediately aware of its presence... the completed work becomes a repository of time-- paradoxically so, since its subject is ephemeral beauty in the form of blossoms, leaves or flying birds."--Maria Porges' Exhibition Essay, Susan Goldsmith: Looking Inside the Light.
Goldsmith uses photographs as her foundational subject matter, and her technique is purposeful. She aims to draw attention to the radiance and abstraction of the natural world. She does so by layering color and light to dynamic effect. “As you pass by one of my works you will see the colors changing, similar to how colors change in nature based on different times of day or how wind modifies the effect of sunlight on leaves and branches,” recalls Goldsmith. Her talent for capturing and creating such beauty continues to captivate audiences around the world. "Both physically and visually, the accumulated layers in Goldsmith’s paintings remove their subjects from us, preserving these visions of nature even as they remind us of their transitory loveliness."-- Maria Porges, Susan Goldsmith: Looking Inside the Light.