I have been obsessed with Los Angeles based artist, Susan Carter Hall, since I discovered her stunning work six years ago. The colors and textures of her paintings are sheer genius, vitalizing the imagination and inspiring creativity for anyone lucky enough to experience her art. Take a peek into her world and art studio as she dishes on the importance of sleep and how she nourishes her heart and soul. Follow her on Instagram and Facebook to catch glimpses of her life and stay updated on her latest shows.
Describe your painting style. The work I am doing now has been developing over the past couple years and is a result of stepping back, reassessing what it is I am trying to do, taking more time to listen, observe and try new experiments with paint. I work with oil paints, though I use some mixed media. The paintings are multi layered and worked on over long periods of time, generally put away for weeks or months, and then returned to. During the progression of a painting, the style meanders back and forth from narrative to abstract, and generally lands somewhere between the two.
What inspires you? Honestly, everything inspires me: people, conversations, the ocean, photos from space, fabric stores, other artists especially, great books/characters, film, nature/landscape, switching things up, memory, stream of consciousness, going on a trip, flying on a plane looking down at the Earth, I could go on and on.
What does a typical work day look like for you? I try to treat painting like a normal job so I tend to go to the studio Monday through Friday. I generally wake up with all these ideas of what I am going to do when I get to the studio, like clean this area when I walk in, or finish that painting, stretch that canvas, and run that errand to the art supply store. What usually happens though, is I walk into the studio, and immediately some small section of a painting (there are usually about seven projects happening at a time) catches my eye, I set my bag down, forget to give my dog water, and work on that the rest of the day.
What excites you most about painting? Painting is a constant mystery. Every time I show up at the canvas, I am presented a journey into the unknown. It’s not always fun or easy but exploring the unknown excites me the most.
What is the best advice you’ve ever received? My late uncle George, a psychiatrist, taught me to breathe (in through my nose and out through my mouth) to calm anxiety.
What is the quality you most admire in a person? I admire people who are trying to do the best they can with whatever circumstances they are dealing with, whether circumstances are good, bad or ugly. Those qualities generally involve courage, honesty, kindness and consistency. I also admire good listeners. I especially admire good listeners who are dealing with worse than you, yet they continue to listen.
What do you like most about yourself? Ironically, maybe my anxiety, which acts as a fuel and motivator.
If you could have one magical power, what would it be? The ability to enter another person’s being (you know kinda like that movie where the teenage girl swaps bodies with her mom for a day or two). I don’t necessarily have to inhabit their body – then again, might be cool to understand that person’s aches and pains and how their body moves. But mostly, imagine the possibilities if you could enter a person’s entire consciousness and really understand how he/she experiences the world. Imagine the empathy.
What is the biggest life lesson you’ve learned? After much experimentation, good sleep is of utmost importance.
When do you feel most at peace? When every mark in a painting begins to come together and it is as if you are not doing the work anymore – that is a really good feeling, I would call it a natural high mixed with peace and connectedness, it is quite euphoric.
How do you nourish your heart and soul? I try to run many days of the week which clears my brain. I bring my dog, Aida, along with me almost everywhere I go, which warms my heart, and I spend time with my smart, creative and hilarious friends, most of whom are great cooks so there’s the gathering together around food, which is always nourishing.
Five things you are grateful for: My health, clean water, the people who support me, my dog, my art practice.