By Margaret Maccoll
Susan Schmidt paintings of beach houses have won the Noosa Heads artist one of 26 finalist spots selected from 16,000 artists around the world in the Rise Art Prize – Global Artist of the Year Award.
Works from Susan’s ‘Seaburbia’ series have been selected for the Rise Art Prize exhibition this month at The House of Vans, a multi-purpose space in the tunnels under Waterloo Station in London.
A global panel of judges including Gavin Turk, David Bailey, Harland Miller and Fiona Banner will review Susan’s and other finalist’s works in person and winners announced at the Awards Ceremony on 8 February.
Susan said ‘Seaburbia’ explores the cultural memory and heritage of the quintessential Australian beach house and the value of a more simple way of life.
“Painted in acrylic and oil, patterned, layered, sanded and glazed the works achieve a weatherworn texture recalling
the erosion of matter over time and the residues of nostalgia and decay,” she said.Susan, a fine arts painter and graphic designer, transitioned from illustrator to painter while raising a family and has exhibited in exhibitions in New York, Hong Kong, Istanbul, San Diego and Singapore and the Maldives.
