Suzanne Hazlett: Southern Exposure

Gallery Walk September 2nd, 5-8pm  • Artist Chat September 3rd, 10am

"Following the ritual of adding and subtracting what may be twenty or thirty layers of color and material, and when I have captured and expressed the essence of that which has inspired me, my paintings arrive at the eventual visual and tactile end of their journey as well as my personal journey to convey the complex combination of grit and grace that is embodied in the modern Southern Belle.

I have lived most of my life as a Northwesterner, enraptured by the majestic power of the mountainous landscape. For years, my husband and I spent every weekend rock climbing and mountain climbing in the vast wilderness where I became intrigued with the layering and aggregation of the rock formations. My early work reflects the influences of this rugged landscape informed by the masculine hues of the earth. 

After spending time with my Georgian daughter-in-law and two decidedly feminine young granddaughters, I have entered a new landscape of delicacy and elegance; I have gained some degree of southern exposure. In so doing, I have come to recognize and admire the self-esteem, discipline and respect at the root of the unapologetically pretty and feminine exterior of the Southern Belle. Through this body of work titled, Southern Exposure, my paintings rejoice in the power of pink, representing in each artwork a distinct female rite of passage. These paintings, like the formidable women and girls who inspired them, display a combination of grit and grace and celebrate the feminine spirit."