Suzanne Schireson (she, hers)
Mother Hermit: Blue Hour, 2021
oil on paper
16 x 20
A dream of solitary space is contradictory in this moment. I quarantine, but occupy more of my time with those I care for, making flashes of solitude particularly rare. There is an inherent paradox in the idea of a “Mother Hermit,” mothers are often isolated but rarely alone. Each of my paintings begin as a dedication to an artist or a mother/artist I admire, and I build her a studio. Increasingly, the buildings struggle to hold them, or the women get to work before the structure is even complete. This often leaves an open edge between architecture and landscape, where a creative act seems to unlock the sky. My paintings invent space for nocturnal women, multi-tasking in marginal hours of the day.