Curated by Jessica Demers
Nelson artist and writer Susan Andrews Grace will present her new body of work in the exhibition Underwritten at Touchstones Nelson from September 21 to November 17. The exhibition explores the sacredness life on earth, and features textile-based printmaking, collage, sculpture and installation. Grace contemplates the “language of the earth’s beauty” through forms that echo the paths of insects etched in wood and the amorphous shapes in clouds.
Grace’s collages of printed and dyed silk result in vibrant yet subtle fields of colour and abstract gestures. Underlying the beauty of her work is her in-depth research into Charles Darwin’s discoveries about the actions of worms, and the classic book on Christian mysticism called The Cloud of Unknowing. While some of her work refers to religious iconography, she infuses it with her own earth-based imagery.
Artist Biography
Susan Andrews Grace’s visual art is informed by textile traditions, as well as the cultural, historical and physical properties and associations of cloth. Largely self-taught in visual art, she holds a BA in Philosophy from University of Saskatchewan (1998) and an MFA in Creative Writing (Poetry) from University of Nevada, Las Vegas (2001).
Her work has been written about in Quiltworks Across Canada by Gail P. Hunt (Pacific Quiltworks, 1996) and Craft Perception and Practice, Volume II Ed. Paula Gustafson (Ronsdale Press, 2002). Her writing about contemporary textile practice appears in Craft Perception and Practice, Volume I Ed. Paula Gustafson (Ronsdale Press, 2002). Her work has been exhibited in public galleries in Canada in the USA. Solo exhibition venues include Langham Gallery, Kaslo, BC, Grand Forks Art Gallery, Saskatchewan Craft Council Gallery and Trifecta Gallery, Las Vegas NV. Group exhibitions include Flame at Oxygen Art Centre, Nelson BC. Andrews Grace lives in Nelson BC.