Susan Tooke
artist's profile
|
Kejimkujik Woodlands, Gallery Page and Strange |
My abstraction of the landscape is based on response to the
energy of the environment around me. Beginning with an underpainting that sets
a powerful tone to the work, I develop shorthand for dealing with the elements
of the landscape. I work to translate
the dynamics of the landscape into the visual image. Lines of energy, sweeping
forces of wind and the dynamics of water are interpretive and expressionistic.
With influences stemming from Anne Meredith Barry and Emily
Carr, my palette exaggerates and simplifies the existing colours found in
nature, substituting bold contrasting colour to emphasize elements in the
composition. Forms are delineated with
complimentary colour; the image is flattened.
Patterns create the textures of the rocks, earth, waves and their
inhabitants to express the ‘soul’ of the landscape.
Over the past four years, I have been working with Lukas
Pearse, Véronique MacKenzie and Tim Tracey exploring media arts. The results
have been exciting projects with Motion Activated (Lukas and Véronique), and
Depths of Sorrow, the commemorative multidisciplinary work created for the
100th anniversary of Titanic tragedy.
SELECTED EXHIBITIONS/AWARDS/PRESENTATIONS:
October 2013 Motion Activated page 5, ArtsPlace, Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia
Sept. 2013 Woodlands: New work by Susan Tooke, Gallery Page and Strange
June/July 2013 Motion Activated: collaborative installation with Veronique Mackenzie/Lukas
Pearse: Saint Mary's University Art Gallery, Halifax, curator: Robin Metcalfe.
March 2013 Presentation Grant, Dept. of Communities, Culture and Heritage
February 2013 Paper: works on paper by selected artists, Gallery Page and Strange
April 2012 Depths of Sorrow: Titanic 100- Motion Activated-Multi-media.
January 2012 Kenetic Studio: Motion Activated(page two) with Veronique
MacKenzie/Lukas Pearse.
October 2011 Nocturne: Motion Activated (page one) with Veronique MacKenzie and Lukas
Pearse.
October 2011 Established Artist Award: Short list.
August 2011 Transformation: New work by Susan Tooke, Gallery Page and Strange
May 2011 Professional Development grant: media, Dept. of Communities, Culture and
Heritage
May 2011 Lillian Shepherd Memorial Award for Excellence in Illustration: The City
Speaks in Drums.
February 2011 Creation Grant, Department of Communities, Culture and Heritage.
February 2010 Residency, Leighton Artists’ Colony, Banff.
Mar. 2010 Development Grant, Canada Council for the Arts (Motion Activated)
Feb. 2010 Up Home: Original paintings, The Cape Breton Centre for Craft and Design
Sept. 2009 Up Home: Original paintings,The Black Cultural Centre for NS.
April 2009 Up Home: Original paintings, Art Gallery of Nova Scotia.
April 2009 Up Home wins The Best Published Book Award, Atlantic Book Awards.
April 2009 Up Home wins the Lillian Shepherd Memorial Award for Excellence in
Illustration.
May, 2008 Free as the Wind: Saving the Horses of Sable Island, winner Alberta
Children's/Young Adult Book of the Year Winner.
June 7, 2007 Industry Growth Investment, Department of Tourism, Culture and Heritage.
June 10, 2007 Brave Jack and the Unicorn, winner of the Newfoundland and Labrador Book
Award, Bruneau Family Children’s Literature Award.
2005 Brave Jack and the Unicorn, original paintings, Government House, Halifax.
2005-2007 This is Our Land, Images of America and the World, touring exhibition: USA
June-Sept.2003 Beyond the Letters: A Retrospective of Canadian Alphabet Books The National
Library of Canada, Ottawa.
June 2003 Nova Scotia Arts Council, creation grant, to create paintings for Brave Jack and
the Unicorn.
May 2003 Mayor’s Award for Excellence in Book Illustration, HRM, Full Moon Rising.
Feb.2003 Lillian Sheppard Memorial Award for excellence in Illustration: Full Moon
Rising.
April, 2002 Atlantic Booksellers’ Choice Award, short list, A Fiddle for Angus.
2002 The Best Children’s Books of the Year, designation for A Fiddle for Angus,
Bank Street College,NY.
Fall, 2002 Maclean’s Magazine, Full Moon Rising chosen as one of 12 top Canadian
picture books for 2002.
Sept. 2000 A Seaside Alphabet, original paintings, Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, Halifax,
NS.
1999-2000 Artists as Children, Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, Halifax, Nova Scotia,
curator: Virginia Stephen.
2000 Nova Scotia Arts Council, Presentation Grant.
1999 Nova Scotia Arts Council, Travel Grant
1998 Manhattan Arts International 1998 7th Annual Competition, NYC, NY- Artist
Showcase Award.
1992 Subject Matter: Contemporary Painting and Sculpture in Nova Scotia, Art
Gallery of Nova Scotia, curator, Robin Metcalfe.
DIGITAL IMAGING:
2005 Enduring Community Photomontage: Metepenagiag Heritage Park, Inc., Red
Bank, New Brunswick.
2002 Almost Normal: collaboration with Véronique Mackenzie, Ariella Pahlke and
Sarah Bonnemaison, Sir James Dunne Theatre.
2002 Atlantic New Dance Festival: Palimpsest of an Interior Elevation with an
Inhabitant collaboration with Véronique Mackenzie, Ariella Pahlke and Sarah
Bonnemaison.
2000 Point Pleasant Park: Artists’ Response, Nova Scotia Provincial Archives,
curator, Gary Castle.
1999 Parks Canada-Monument Lefebvre National Historic Site, NB.
1998 Ryan Premises National Historic Site, Bonavista, NL, (digital photo montage).
1997 Halifax Citadel National Historic Site (paintings, illustrations and digital photo
montage).
1996 Face Value: Nova Scotia Portraiture: Generations/Conversations, collaborative
multi-media work with V. MacKenzie, Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, curator,
Virginia Stephen.
RELATED EXPERIENCE:
2011 Creative Nova Scotia Leadership Council.
2011 Carfac National: board member.
2009-present President, CARFAC Maritimes.
2011 Juror, Governor General’s Award for Illustration.
2006 Juror, Governor General’s Award for Illustration.
2003 Juror, Governor General’s Award for Illustration.
1999-2000 Chairperson, Visual Arts Nova Scotia.
1995-1996 Artist in Residence, Saint Mary's University Art Gallery Media Centre, 1995-1997.
1994,1995 Juror, Nova Scotia Art Bank Purchase Program.
1993-1995 Member, Board of Governors, Art Gallery of Nova Scotia.
EDUCATION:
1996 Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, Halifax, computer graphics.
1977 New School for Social Research, New York City: postgraduate, Media Studies.
1972 Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia: B.F.A.
contact:
Susan Tooke
elmstreetstudio@ns.sympatico.ca
902.492.0787
2575 Elm Street
Halifax, Nova Scotia,
Canada
B3L 2Y5
Website/blog
www.susantooke.com
http://susantookeart.blogspot.ca