Susan Osgood, Red Sea 5, 2009

Susan Osgood: Mapping the Unknown

September 21 – November 5, 2017

Opening: Thursday, September 21, 5-7pm
Artist Talk: Saturday, October 28, 5pm

First came finding a fascinating 12th century map of seemingly impossible geography. In it I saw only abstract lines—delicate, curving, changing course, dancing from page to page. This map rekindled my interest in line and the depth it can create and had me pondering the concept of mapping.

Born from this inspiration, these monotypes, oil paintings, and collages celebrate a sense of mystery. They are an invitation to step out of this busy world to follow fluid map-like lines resting on the surface and delve in to the atmospheric depths beneath—to the place of not-knowing—where we are suspended for a moment in the timelessness of curiosity and fascination.

Next, on a whim, I ordered a poem from a poet with a manual typewriter on Main Street. It was a deep little poem, about why not to drink down the Atlantic Ocean with its many ghosts, and this led to the collaboration for our book together: A Ghost of Water: Poems by GennaRose Nethercott Inspired by the Art of Susan Osgood.

Susan Osgood