Celebrataing the work of Susan Sommer (class of 1974), this exhibition is currently on view at the Kimmel Cultural Campus in the First Tier Promenade and coincides with the recent completion of a documentary called Silent Rhythm, A Selection of Recent Paintings by filmmaker Samantha Schutz.
Sommer’s work continues to evolve with the inspiration that comes from the seasonal shifts of her natural surroundings. These recent works reflect time spent immersed in Upstate New York’s landscapes and are created as abstract scenes observed through her studio’s picture window. With an ongoing soundtrack of jazz in the background, Sommer brings the foothills of the Catskill Mountains to life in bold strokes and blocks of color that dance within the confines of each canvas. She describes her process as a “rhythmic evolution” where colors are applied in response to sound and light—the physical act of painting becomes a dance and the resulting image is created as an extension of these environmental prompts.
Susan Sommer received her BFA from Moore College of Art & Design in 1972 and studied at the Art Students League of New York from 1965-70. Her work is in the permanent collections of the Albuquerque Museum, NM; Government House of St. Vincent, West Indes; University of Santa Clara, CA; and Vanderbilt University, TN. She has exhibited widely and nationally for over fifty years. Sommer has also published a children’s book titled An Awakening in the Jungle, a story about inclusion and understanding that she both wrote and illustrated.
Image: Susan Sommer '72, installation view at the Kimmel Cultural Campus, Philadelphia.
