Arthur, Susan E.

Susan E. Arthur, Philadelphia, USA

In my pictures, I am exploring the junction between fact and fantasy: moments when the child fully inhabits her world, keeping the adult world at bay. The shallow depth-of-field is intended to lure the viewer into a powerful transcendent moment. The places I record are purposely unspecific in order to highlight the emotional “facts.”

In my effort to portray the mystery of the hidden, darker reaches of the home, as well as the more magical side of the natural world, I try to work as spontaneously as possible. Thus, there is always a tension in creating my work, between simply recording a fleeting feeling and place, and actually orchestrating a scene of fantasy.

This work is emotionally autobiographical, but at this point, I am only partially revealed; although I want to show more of my inner emotions, I remain circumspect. As I grow as an artist, I want to bring my personal drama more into the foreground. In this effort, I am revisiting places that offered me redemption after my father’s death when I was 8, as well as those sites that enable(ed) me to perpetuate the fear and sadness that became a part of me from that point forward.