SUSAN HAMER

My work consists of small oil paintings on board, canvas and paper. I am drawn to the intimacy of a reduced scale and the concentrated energy it can hold. A small painting can suggest a much larger space, like peering through a small window.
 

My recent paintings isolate often overlooked subjects, such as weather balloons, insects and children’s paddling pools. Working from found and original imagery, I crop and reframe subjects through processes informed by film and photography, shifting their scale, context and composition. These fragments are translated into paint through a restrained palette and muted tones, combining loose, gestural marks with more precise brushwork.

Through this process, I invite a more sustained way of looking. The familiar can become charged with memory, association or mystery. I aim to create still, quiet spaces that hover between recognition and strangeness.