Susan Wood i

My primary studio activity is drawing - a practice that has only recently been considered an end in itself.

I have always been intrigued by the immediacy of drawing - the very direct process of a mind and hand giving visual form to an observed object/figure, an idea, a passing thought or emotion. For the last number of years I have been working with flower and bird imagery and, more recently, insects. This particular body of work continues with this type of imagery but, in addition, consciously ‘borrows’ from historical Chinese bird and flower paintings. Sometimes it is reflected in the composition, and other times I have inserted my own imagery into what is essentially a replica.  I have included collage and a range of mixed media in my work. I think of this process as a way to pay homage to important artists who came from a vastly different time and place, and who drew bits of the natural world with great veracity and beauty.

Susan Wood is a Halifax-based artist, who has been teaching at NSCAD University since 1990. She holds a BFA from Mount Allison University, Sackville, New Brunswick, and an MFA from the University of Calgary, Alberta. Her work is in many public and private collections, including: Bank of Montreal, Toronto, Ontario, Royal Bank of Canada, the Netherlands Bank, Toronto, Ontario, Petro Canada Resources, Husky Oil, Calgary, Alberta, Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, Ottawa, Department of External Affairs, Shaw Communications, Calgary, Alberta, Nova Scotia Art Bank, Canada Council Art Bank, the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, and the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador.