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

Community Bridge

Community Bridge

I'm still picking my way through this fascinating website; however: a theory as to why this strikes such a chord (despite its non-slick web design): its creation, albeit in flimsy materials, bears strong resemblance to the method of the Gothic cathedral builders. There, master masons, spanning generations, provided a core of direction, but each individual stone carver had much freedom to depict his subject within certain bounds. True, the Medieval stone carvers of Europe were highly trained craftsmen, where some participants in a modern mass project, like this bridge, might almost be accused of doing "paint-by-numbers", but the overall effect had profound effects on their respective communities. I appreciate the referral to this site from the head of the Foundation for Community Arts. Can Christendom do better than encourage human artistic sub-creation to the end of coalescing a community that encourages brotherly love?

Notice 3 qualities about the symbols — they are:
• subjective — they adopt a point of view, as good art should;
• figurative (though occasionally geometric with cultural references);
• emotive — they express emotion of the artist & attempt to impart it to the viewer.

I see the first quality as exemplified by the Stuckists and perhaps by critics such as John Gardner, Fred Chappell, and those holding related views; the second as embodied in works by Pre-Raphaelites, Classicists, and various traditionalists for better reasons and mediocre ones; the third might meet certain of the standards for art of Leo Tolstoy.

Suffice it to say that the creation of works similar to this is an encouraging sign for our culture. We nevertheless must discover the core values we choose to defend in that milieu.