Tribe Painting

Suzanna Schlemm is a full-time working artist with a solid body of work. She paints from observation and is particularly interested in the relationships among women: with each other, their children, work and with themselves. Originally from Brazil, Suzanna is currently based in Darien, CT and New York City. Statement: "The process of painting, for me, is parallel to living. It is not something I think about at all: it just happens to me and I act on it. The imagery for my paintings surface in my mind, arising from a much deeper place. Most of the time they are prompted by something I see in day-to-day life, images that move me in such a familiar way that I just know they have to become a painting. When this happens I pay attention and try to register the ideas and images with notes, photographs and sketches in my little notebook, where all of my work is conceived. So even though I always paint from observation, most of the time I produce my own reference material, a collage of multiple elements (figures, backgrounds, animals, objects) usually in different mediums (photos, sketches, sometimes memory). The world passes through me and I download it all into slots I call paintings. It is a constant flow, and the more I bring them to life, the richer the flow gets. After decades of work and experimentation, I began to see a clear theme in my work: the bonds among women, as well as the absence of that bond. I am interested in our relationships with each other, our children, our work and with ourselves, in profound but rich solitude. The birds enter the scene as a poetic element that connects us with nature and the mystery above. Hidden in the beauty of these images there is always a grain of sorrow, this secret ingredient that deepens everything and transforms "beautiful" into true beauty. With each painting I create a place of safety and beauty for myself: a tribe of women that look after each other. And I am happy to say that I see this tribe more and more present each day in the real world around us." - Suzanna Schlemm