Though she loved and was encouraged to create art from the time she was a child, Susan Donelan Burke did not go on to study art until later in life as she was cautioned, “It’s a hard life” to be an artist. As time went on, she found that it was harder not to be one. Now, through various media, she finds contentment in that realm. In her first solo show, the Malden-based artist will be exhibiting her watercolor paintings and photographs in a new gallery exhibit entitled “Narrative” at the MATV Gallery, February 8 – April 9, 2010.
In her watercolor landscapes, Donelan Burke celebrates our human connection to the earth and with a higher power. The artist is focused on the play of light and the flow of energy that moves through a painting. Her forms capture the essence of objects and accentuate the light to create movement within the composition. “Surrendering to the paper,” as she puts it, “I move off the beaten path and into the world of vision where creativity rather than copy resides.” The “Narrative” exhibition explores that process over the past decade. Her photographs also celebrate nature, the seasons, and how light draws attention to the relationship between the natural world and our core selves.
A Manchester by-the-Sea native, Donelan Burke spent most of her life on Cape Ann, moving to Malden just seven years ago. After the birth of her son in 1981, Donelan Burke started her own interior painting and papering business and found it to be somewhat of a creative outlet, as well as a way to earn money – and with flexible hours. When she reached a certain age, she decided to dedicate her time to the fine arts, and re-established her connection to life through watercolor. She participated in several workshops with the celebrated Rockport artist Betty Lou Schlemm, AWS; joined the Cape Ann Watercolor Painters; and exhibited her work annually in several North Shore exhibits.
Coming to Malden, Susan was delighted to find a nurturing and supportive arts community. When she heard of MATV’s “We Have a Dream” video project at the first of the Malden Arts Salon Series in 2008, she proposed and curated an art exhibit of the same name to accompany the MATV video screening, attracting a range of local artists to participate in the successful show. They opened together on Martin Luther King weekend in January, 2009.
She participated in Window Arts Malden 2009 and, through a connection made at the “We Have a Dream” exhibition, was invited to join a new artist co-operative venture, Galatea Fine Art, located in the SoWa (South of Washington St.) section of Boston, where her most recent works may be seen.
The MATV Gallery is pleased to present “Narrative, An Exhibition” by Susan Donelan Burke. A reception with the artist will be held on Friday, February 5, from 6:30 - 8pm. Regular exhibit hours are Monday – Thursday, 10am – 9pm; Friday, 10am – 6pm; and Saturday, 10am – 2pm. Handicapped accessible, the MATV Gallery is located at Malden Access Television, 145 Pleasant St. in Malden.
