Susan Canavarro

Artist Statement

The aesthetic of the place was and still is an important aspect of my images. These paintings are about abstracting the basic architectural shapes that I encountered everyday as a student at Chico State. I walked through that alley every morning to have my cappuccino in Cafe Sienna and do my class reading. I did a lot of studying in the coffee house in spite the talking and laughter and whine and grind of the coffee machines.

Specific architectural elements of Chico, such as Ayers Hall, Cafe Max's patio, the Senator theater, and this alley provided me with a departure point for geometric abstract compositions. I wanted to express the essential characteristic of a place without being overly representational. In the process of visual perception what we see first and remember the most are those basic characteristics. Through the process of elimination of detail I arrived at the basic shapes and values. The simplification and the restraint of detail suggest both the abstract and the real nature of my subjects. This work is architectonic in structure, created with traditional oil and watercolor materials on canvas and watercolor paper, and monotype. All were created between 1988 and 1992.