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Susan Watson
Selected Paintings
2002-2012
During these years, painting was in large part a way for me to open into myself, reflecting and inquiring into my state of consciousness, the deepest sense myself, and the sense I had of the transcendent.
Danaë #1, 40x50", oil on canvas, 2002
My first two paintings in this period were inspired by the myth of the princess Danaë, who was seduced by Zeus in the form of a shower of gold. For me, the paintings were a way to express and try to understand a transformative experience I had had of dissolving into blissful, transcendent light.
Danaë #2, 48x60", oil on canvas, 2002
The Encounter #1, 22x36", oil on canvas, 2004
"The Encounter" paintings were a way for me to express and inquire into my sense of the deep mystery of recognizing one's own awareness in an apparent other.
The Encounter #2, 18x26", oil on canvas, 2004
The Encounter #3, 34x24", oil on canvas, 2005
The Discovery, 31x39", oil on canvas, 2006
"The Discovery" was partly inspired by the myth of Orpheus, when the nymphs find his dismembered head. The darkness as well as the beauty in the myth resonated with my own sense of the mystery in the heart of being.
Incubus, 24x30", oil on canvas, 2007
"Incubus" is only loosely inspired by the eponymous dream demon, and was more a way to try to explore the line, if any, between the sense of "me" and the sense of "I" that is aware of me.
Untitled, 28x22", oil on canvas, 2007
I left this painting and the next Untitled, as no names ever fit. These paintings were a way to express the blurring of the sense of one's self when inquired into.
Untitled, 20x16", oil on canvas, 2008
Dirty Laundry/Veronica #1, 28x22", oil on canvas, 2008
The "Dirty Laundry" paintings were partly inspired by the legend of Veronica, whose veil retained Jesus' image after wiping his face. There is a face hidden in the fold of the sheets.
Dirty Laundry/Veronica #2, 40x30", oil on canvas, 2008
The Weary Bride, 36x24", oil on canvas, 2009
"The Weary Bride" longs for complete union with her beloved, but still has not been satisfied.
The Beloved #1 (Entreating), 48x32", oil on canvas, 2010
Sufis often refer to the sense of the transcendent as the Beloved, and in these paintings I tried to directly paint my sense of the transcendent in the metaphor of a bride, just before union. The bride is veiled, and what this union will actually be is unknowable.
The Beloved #2 (Commanding), 48x32", oil on canvas, 2010
Surrender, 24x30, oil on canvas, 2010
This painting was a way to try to invoke full surrender to life.
The Burning #1, 36x24", oil on canvas, 2011
These two paintings came from a lucid dream. I went through a period with several lucid dreams, and in one asked, "What is my next painting?" Immediately I was shown this image of a woman burning on a stake, and only later realized how appropriate it was for me to paint at that time.
The Burning #2, 36x24", oil on canvas, 2011
Dissolution, 30x24", oil on canvas, 2012
"Dissolution" was my last painting from this period, and for over two years I also believed it was my final painting. The path that I was on had come to an end, ending in seeming "dissolution". I didn't paint again until I was inspired to begin my "Meeting Awareness" portraits.
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