Second Innocence — the work of Suzy Schulz

Update: Mason Murer Fine Art features Suzy Schulz' "Second Innocence", opening with a reception Friday, September 21, 2012, from 7-10 PM.

Update: The first of Suzy Schulz' "Dancing in the Ruins" series has been selected for publication in the watercolor book, "Splash 13", as she announced August 31, 2012. (Fort Walker Prospect had featured the third in her series in this post, back in April.) Even more significantly, her watercolor, "Worn", was selected for the Eunice Porte Memorial award by the San Diego Watercolor Society at its International Show.

Update: The artist will be included in a community show, called the Art-B-Que on Saturday, May 5th from 10 am - 6 pm, and Sunday, May 6th from 2 pm - 5 pm. Please check the event website for details:
Avondale Estates Art-B-Q

The view from Fort Walker seeks artisanry in works of art, and it is to be found in the works of Suzy Schulz, a visual artist with studios in nearby Avondale Estates, Georgia. Her figures emerge from surrounding environs that, while abstract, retain a gritty texture reminiscent of our reality. It seems mindful of sculptural figures that emerge from the rock from which they are carved — the imposition of order into chaos by a conscious person: ". . . and He saw that it was good."

Victory in our fallen world is often achieved with scars and ultimately the separation of soul from body. The figurative expressions of concepts that she considers in her works remind the viewer that these principles apply to each of us, and notwithstanding our setbacks we can dance in the ruins of our own lives.

Dancing in the Ruins 3 by Suzy Schulz © 2011

Here is a worthy visual testament, and her website offers further inspiration. Please visit today:

Suzy Schulz

The Loss of Artisanry and Artistry

Here's a heads-up to check out the link to Rudy Christian's blog entry from December 14, 2010, titled, "What Have We Lost?". Erosion of cultural knowledge is a recurring theme on Fort Walker Prospect, and Mr Christian's entries promote not only a respect for our heritage of artisanry but clearly what we've termed here as the durable transmission of this deep knowledge from one generation to another. (Note: I decided to link the word "artisanry" to its definition on one dictionary site because several other sites, spell-checkers, & other sources denied that this is a valid word — does this mean we're even losing the definition of it?)

I recently visited the Dalí Late Works show at the High Museum of Art. One may like or dislike the artist and his works or criticize certain phases of his career, but seeing his work in person granted a perspective not available through the numerous books and online resources that reproduce them: he was a formidable craftsman of the canvas, paper, brush, and pen or pencil. Only with increasing rarity have late-20th Century artists cared so much about the state of their final product.

This is a call to those who would enter the realm of the visual fine arts to attempt to hone the most exemplary artisanal skills in their works, and yet for artists this is seldom enough. Tolstoy suggested that the true artist will use a given medium to impart emotion experienced by the artist so intently that any viewer will quickly perceive and experience that emotion, as well. An examination of the work in many a gallery, as well as those assembled more carefully by museum curators, reveals a laziness on the part of many visual artists in the imparting of ideas and emotions. Their lack of motivation is itself a durable transmission, but of the wrong kind — one that erodes its own art form and in turn erodes society.


Mr Christian's writing and the works of Dalí encourage the best of artisanry and artistry.