| From Michael Babcock: Seeing Susan's paintings with an African theme recalls that both of her parents had emigrated to Brazil from South Africa. This was one of 3 African-themed images she did in 1973, after traveling to South Africa to visit relatives. Susan’s explanation as to why she painted so few images of Brazil, where she spent the first 26 years of her life, applies to these African images; she said “when I was in Brazil I would paint Brazilian images, . . . I think I need to be somewhere for the paintings to be inspired by the local folklore and local images.”
This piece brings together many of Susan’s themes: mother and child, a love of costume in the colorful, elegant cape and her love of animals in their many representations around the perimeter. It showcases her use of color, her use of sgraffito to produce detailing, and her use of ink applied over the oil pastels to produce texturing, seen particularly in the orange African sun and sky.
TPG: A stunning, large elaborate piece. The cape is filled with wonderful foliage and animal imagery indigenous to the continent. With careful study of the painting you will find, hidden within the various landscapes, depictions of Lions, Lionesses and cubs, Cape Buffalo, Antelope, Giraffe, Elephant, Zebra, Rhino, Monkeys and various bird species. This piece possibly offers an artistic seed, (the complex integration of backgrounds with animal imagery), which would morph into the anthropomorphic blending of human and animal forms that was to become her most complex, layered and recognized later work.
This original work has been re-framed with an a custom wood frame. Archival triple-matted and floated with suede bottom mat, paper middle mat and a linen top mat. Acid-free materials throughout and reglazed with Conservation Clear, Tru-Vue, UV protective glass.
Note: We have no information as to why Susan’s original framer chose to mount this piece, (painted on Susan’s traditional artist board), onto masonite; but because they chose to do so, that layer of mounting is not considered archival. Signed Susan Seddon Boulet, bottom-right. Dated 73
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