I am fascinated by water; its patterns and dynamics are at once calming and stimulating. Water is ever-changing and what lies beneath its evocative surfaces is never fully revealed.

Light glints on the surface of the water and the light bends and shifts in unpredictable ways. Water moves incessantly – ripples open and extend – pushing against the shoreline like time passing. In the shallows, light glances to the bottom revealing fallen leaves and sticks – remnants of yesterday. The sun is hidden behind a cloud or a night sky and the light is no longer able to pierce the layers of water – its surface is inscrutable.

With a camera in hand, I have spent many hours documenting the movement and patterns of different bodies of water. My camera enables me to stop time and capture the fleeting patterns of the water. My photographs serve as my sketching process and a jumping-off point for my paintings. As I paint, I am aware of the physical layers I build, from the bright white surfaces that reflect the sky above to the dark, hidden depths below. Many of my paintings have no horizon line or point of view, as if the viewer is in the midst of water, submerged and without grounding. Other works explore ways in which the land frames the various bodies of water. The water patterns in my paintings are caused by an agitation (wind, rain, tide, or current) that fractures the reflective surface and creates dynamic abstract compositions representing memories, emotions, or psychological states.

Image: In Between Times, acrylic on canvas, 40″ x 30″ by Susan Willis Brodie