January 7 - February 2, 2023
From Archway Gallery:
“Archway Gallery presents Myths, Legends, and The Holy Spirit, featuring a series of oil on canvas paintings by Susan Sheets. This exhibit will be on view January 7 through February 2, 2023.
Wistful Helen of Troy Before Paris
by Susan Sheets
The artist will be present at the gallery to visit with guests during the opening reception from 5 – 8 p.m. on Saturday, January 7, 2023. There will be an Artist Talk at 6:30 p.m.
Inspired by myths, legends, and the Holy Spirit, Susan Sheets invites us on a journey of the traditional storytellers of the past, creating a 21st Century view of tradition through her paintings.
Encapsulating allusions to historical legends and ancient myths, including Helen of Troy and Lady Godiva, as well as exploring religious tenants from the Bible, her collection is symbolic and vast ranging. By fusing techniques and imagery, she brings to light the importance of the myths, legends, and spiritual beliefs on the human experience. Working with oils on canvas and unique layering techniques, Sheets manipulates the viewer’s perspective, focusing the experience on the illustrated stories presented and the individual’s interpretation of man’s explanation of the world. Her paintings compel individuals to look at their own understanding of the past, meeting them where they are, and taking them on a journey of reflective thought.
Sheets turns standard notions of man’s understanding of the world into a uniquely expressive form, reaching beyond the borders of history, beliefs, and religion.
Susan Sheets is a contemporary western artist, known for her dynamic compositions of horses and cattle, as well as the cowboys who ride and herd them on the harsh Texas terrain. She gained her experience through years of working with cattlemen and horsemen across Texas, Colorado, Wyoming, and New Mexico. Her paintings pay homage to the animals necessary to work the land, and the interplay between riders and mounts.
Her compositions express the bond between partners, including the trust and respect men and animals have for each other. They press the edges of the canvas, capitalizing on the tension created to bring the viewer into the moment. With her strong sense of texture, contrast, and color, Susan captures the iconic images of Texas. Her paintings are about the power and grace of the contemporary animal within the gritty and earthy essence of Texas.
Sheets holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Houston and a Master of Art Education from Sam Houston State University. In 2003, Sheets attended the Jentel Artist Residency in Sheridan, Wyoming. Her works have been showcased in countless exhibitions, including exhibitions at Philmont Ranch in Cimarron, New Mexico, the Butler Longhorn Museum in League City, Texas, and the prestigious American Academy of Equine Art in Lexington, Kentucky. In 2008, Sheets was accepted into a six-day national photography seminar concentrating on western equine images at the Heart Six Ranch in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. She was juried into the Women Artists of the West 41st Annual National Exhibition. She has also been published in Ex Arte Equines III, International Equine Art Competition 2010. In May 2011, Sheets was a highlighted artist appearing in the “Women Artists of the West” article published in Southwest Art Magazine and Western Art Collector Magazine. Most recently in 2018, she attended a six-day equine art workshop, called Figure of the Horse in Art, with Jill Soukup at Zapata Ranch, Mosca, Colorado.”
Reception: January 7, 2022 | 5–8 pm
2305-A Dunlavy
Houston, 77006 TX
(713) 522-2409
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