Susan Demmet

The subject matter of my watercolor paintings and pencil drawings is of prebirth, birth and the events that follow in abstract and fantastical visuals. Hands, coiling cords, embryos, flowers, light and explosions reveal a psychobiography of my early life. Implied in my work is the presence of bodies with their references to generations past and present. My paintings trace the emotional and physical connections between my siblings, parents and important relatives from both my adoptive and biological families. Inherent in my work are the universal feelings of abandonment, confusion, growth and renewal. We are born into existence as innocent babies from a mother's womb. Most babies stay with their biological parents, whereas others are sent to consanguine relations. As well a baby may be adopted or sent to foster care. The placement may be glorious or it may be wrong. The baby is blameless. How do these early events relate to our lives and how will our responses affect future generations? I have been painting most of my life; it is a freeing and therapeutic process, which restores and heals me. I have been exploring these issues since graduating from NYU with a BFA in painting. It is my wish that my work presents to the viewer a pathway to remember and to feel the quality of early life and that the viewer has the opportunity to reflect more deeply on his/her own beginning with all its implications and realities.