The collage and mixed media assemblages of Susan R. Carlson are remarkable for their unique constructions, their sophisticated use of color and pattern, their sheer power to engage the viewer in the act of storytelling.
Each piece encapsulates a world, or at least a boisterous neighborhood, of its own—a place where rules and norms are still being worked out, where composed elements perch tensely at the edge of meaning. Stripped of their familiar contexts, objects and signifiers—numbers, words, phrases, textiles—have been cohesively reassembled in a manner that celebrates mystery, humor and tenderness. While themes emerge, we are never confronted by a didactic message; rather, Carlson’s pieces remind us of the certainty of change—from past to present, whole to broken, valued to discarded.