SUZETTE LEBENZON

This work is part of a natural progression of contemporary landscape exploration, inspired by my love of the topography and flora of the Cape and the extended surrounds. Walks in the woods are mediative and restorative to me. I bring back the memories of a particular hike and paint from recollection, my feelings of the experience and of the physical beauty of the place.

Trees have captured my fancy. I see them as characters in a scene, sometimes dancing, sometimes mingling, and usually resilient. I like to describe them in paint with a minimum of detail, relying on their gestures and their relationships to each other to tell their stories.

Also, I am captivated by the altered reality of the reflections in a pond, puddle, or swamp basin.

Watching the surface changes is hypnotic. The movement of mirrors, illumination, and the still dark abyss draws me in. One drop of dew from a branch can send vibrations of change through the view.

Always, I exaggerate color. I use it to conjure the passion I feel for the place I am painting.