Paintings by Susan Valentine and Clay Sculptures by Immer Cook

IMMER MOWRY COOK
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Artist’s Statement
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I grew up in and currently live in Easthampton, MA. An interest in modern and contact improvisational dance led me to pursue the study of dance in college. While there I found my way to ceramics and have been committed to the medium ever since. I have been creating work out of a shared community studio in Florence for the past few years.

I use traditional hand-building techniques and occasional wheel thrown elements to create my sculptures. My work has generally always made reference to vessel forms, using the architecture of the vessel( foot, body, handle, spout), as a vehicle for self expression. One thread in my current body of work represents a departure from that focus. In this series I tried to develop a personal iconography which led me to a series of portraits and the incorporation of a pedestal element into my compositions.

SUSAN VALENTINE
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Artist’s Statement
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I moved to Leverett from Boston in 1992. It was here that my heart found a home and my artistic nature began to find nurturance .

Currently my focus is portraiture. Portraits of vegetables and fruits, that is. We all know their beauty. I’m just here to show you my personal relationship with that beauty. Does cooking take longer that way? Yes. Yes, it does.

I often use the light in my kitchen and sometimes sunlight. Using my phone’s camera I edit those photos in Photoshop and then grid and draw the smaller paintings. The larger and more complex images are projected onto the canvas, drawing them for my guide. A few layers of thin oil paint gets my intentions across. A painting can take anywhere from a week to several months.

I’ve also included here some of the works from my previous series, Losing her Marbles.

Thank you for your interest in our local art scene. I’m very proud to be a part of it. See more examples of my work at www.susanvalentine.art.