Susan Gunn

View works. Susan Gunn
Aurum I II & III, Genuine 22 carat gold leaf, natural earth pigment & gesso on canvas & aluminium support, 366cm x 91cm x 4cm – (122cm x 91cm x 4cm) – Composed of 3 panels, 2010
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Susan Gunn received international recognition when she won the Sovereign European Painting Prize in 2005/6. Chairman of the judging panel, Sir Peter Blake, declared... "I think she is a very talented artist - her paintings are incredibly beautiful objects"

Susan Gunn's paintings reveal a sculptural physicality that embody a tacit strength and fragility. Gunn explores a historical technique of building layers of gesso, incorporating an organic binder with natural earth and mineral pigments and base substances such as chalk, coal, and marble dust.
Cracks and fissures, typically considered a defect in the gesso surface, are induced in the work that are beyond the artists control.
She describes her art as… " A pre-occupation with the process of provoking accidents during the stages of making the work. Cracks in the works appear during the drying stages and secondary scrapes and nuances are the consequence of the vigour of the rubbing and polishing action. I believe it to be an expression of spirit, vulnerability and survival.