Child’s Play: Playground Landscapes

Coleman Gallery
June 2007

Moving constantly as a child, Su Doyle planted roots in Massachusetts in 1986.  Her affinity for movement and change is reflected in her work; her paintings have been described as kinetic, energetic and highly emotive.  For the past three years, her subject matter has focused on capturing images of childhood memory, creating large format works of tricycles and playground landscapes with a squared-off perspective.

Artist Statement:

The landscape of a playground juxtaposes natural and man-made elements, evoking a sense of memory and mystery.

I attempt to stop time in my paintings, to capture the energy and atmosphere of different places and moments.

Intangible images continue to inspire me, and this series has become an artistic playground of its own.  Keeping the subject matter constant allows me to vary the approach  — from abstract paintings rendered entirely with hardware-store brushes to more representational works.  The fast drying time, transparency and color range of acrylics enables me to build layer upon layer of atmospheric color.   Painting on square canvases forces me to revisit the composition of landscape; large brushes keep movement alive in my work.