October 2012 Cover Cover Artist: Susan B. Phillips                   

Susan B. Phillips is an award winning artist who resides in New York City and Woodstock, NY. Her mediums are photography and collage. She is currently an active member of the Woodstock Artists Association & Museum, and is also a participating member, as well as the Gallery Coordinator, of the National Association of Women Artists in New York City.  Susan is also associated with: The Center for Photography at Woodstock, The International Center for Photography in NYC, and Cabane Studios in Phoenicia, NY. Susans' photographs have been exhibited at the Brooklyn Museum of Art in Brooklyn, NY, The Bergen County Museum, Paramus, NJ, The Belskie Museum of Art, Closter, NJ, and The Coos Art Museum, Coos Bay, OR.

Her photographs and collages have been showcased in both the NYC and Woodstock areas, as well as throughout the US, and can be found in corporate and private collections. She continues to expand her photography portfolios of Graffiti, Puddle Reflections NYC, Rain, Pond Reflections and Street Seen (street graphics), among many others.

thalo:  How do you come up with ideas for your collages?  What inspires you? 

Susan B. Phillips: There are many things that inspire me, and which I am sure subliminally affect all of my art. I am fascinated by all of the natural world: water, flowers, trees, leaves, rocks, clouds and the patterns and designs inherent in all of them. Stones and crystals from deep in the earth present a myriad of shapes, hinted at landscapes, and motifs. I adore rusted materials, and copper and the patina they develop as they age. I am continually motivated by looking at the work of other artists, in all mediums (one of my collage idols is Kurt Schwitters).

th:  A great deal of your photos deal with reflections in water, what about this concept captivates you? 

SBP: I am particularly drawn to water in all forms, because of the transitory nature of it. Puddles hold a special fascination for me because of their ephemeral, multi-layered quality. Most people never stop to look down at puddles, as they are busy rushing to work or a destination. They are just little “annoyances” that one must step over. Yet, puddles are fleeting, changing from one moment to the next at the whim of the wind, a passing car or truck, or people stepping blindly into them. My photographs invite the viewer, to look down and enter into another dimension of the impermanent puddle- for any puddle will appear changed with the next rainfall. Each will also vary according to the allusions and preconceptions that an observer brings into the experience. I hope that each of my “momentary reflections” will invite the spectator into a mysterious, enigmatic and surreal world, presented by a mirrored, upside down universe; they offer, perhaps, a trip to a phantom, floating city-a fictional, underground society that exists beneath the pavement, on the nether side of the curb, available only to those who will “slip” into the puddle by allowing their assumptions to dissolve. Hopefully, they provide a beautifully vivid, yet altered, reality

th: Why don’t people ever appear in your photographs? 

SBP: Well, actually-they just don’t appear in the portfolios that I share on my website. I do have a vast portfolio of “children” photographs-kids are easy to work with and are not camera shy. When traveling, I may shoot people-but only from a distance-as I do not like to invade people’s privacy. Then, there is the issue of the model release, etc. if you want to publish an image. In much of my work, I concentrate on capturing the lines and patterns of nature, or found, inanimate objects. I search for graphically appealing designs, always looking for the aesthetic possibilities in that which most passersby overlook: weathered gas and water caps, eroding street demarcations, torn papers from graffiti surfaces, the world of puddles. I seek to bring to viewers a new perspective on the commonplace

th: You work with two different art forms: mixed media collages and photography. What do you like about each of them? Do you prefer one over the other? 

SBP: Producing a collage is more of a problem solving event. It takes much more discipline. I need to get into the studio, or decide that a certain block of time will be devoted to working on collages. When I plan to accomplish one thing-I usually wind up working on three other pieces-depending on what catches my eye as I enter the studio. In collaging-there is always the element of surprise, for the process is open and serendipitous, even if the final element takes months to find

When I photograph, I usually compose in camera before shooting. I do very little post-shooting work; perhaps just a clean-up, or bringing out highlights or shadows. My process is completely inverted when I do a collage. Instead of a pre-visualization, I start with a few papers, a color scheme in mind, or a transferred image that interests me. I manipulate these materials, until a composition begins to emerge. Then I start adding more elements. Creating something visually exciting-from unrelated, pre existing objects-each with its own texture and dimensionality-is the challenge.

th: Is there any advice that you'd give to an up-and-coming artist? 

SBP: Briefly, yes. Artists: do your work, follow your heart and avoid negative people. Be disciplined and avoid jealousy of others. Try to maintain your energy and ideology. Network and join arts organizations. Study the masters and learn from artists you love. Your work will allow the inarticulate to remain just that, so don’t over -explain your creations. While we all seek approval-the real issue is whether or not you are progressing with your own goals. Be uninhibited and joyous, and allow for the unexpected. Explain your process in as few words as possible, and keep artist statements short. They are a necessary evil. If I followed my own advice-my artist statement would probably read as follows: “If you like my art-please look at it, if you don’t, walk away.

To learn more about Susan B. Phillips and her artwork visit www.susanbphillips.com.