Susan McAlister: Canopy

Les Yeux du Monde is thrilled to announce Canopy, an exhibition of new work by celebrated gallery artist Susan McAlister. Guided by a profound reverence for the natural world, Susan McAlister’s work speaks to the sacred nature of place and the layered histories of a given site.

McAlister’s process, deeply rooted in the tradition of en plein air, begins outdoors as she sketches, paints, and collects artifacts, which then inform her studio practice. Found materials from the outdoors in her Canopy works include: charcoal left from a wildfire, soil from several significant historic sites, feathers, insects and shapes taken from a myriad of storm-felled trees.

The multidimensional assemblages McAlister makes with these found artifacts become both beautiful artistic expressions and captivating records of the places that inspired them. The artist’s abstract works are similarly conceived and grounded, beginning with forms she gathers from the outdoors. Dances of color and shape, these pieces evoke the patterns, rhythms, and motion of nature, and communicate the essence of the places from which they came. In her richly layered and textured landscapes, McAlister conveys the interplay of color, light, and atmosphere in ways that foster profound appreciation for the natural world.

Per the artist, “This exhibition, ‘Canopy’ is an ‘ode’ to forests past and present. It considers the majesty of an uncut or virgin forest; the wonder of regeneration; the tragedy of an untamed wildfire… I am continually astonished by nature and the sanctuary it provides my heart, mind and soul. It seems important in the light of the global climate shifts occurring all around us to honor these treasured but fragile spaces.”

Susan McAlister earned her B.A. from Davidson College, where she studied alongside numerous esteemed artists including Herb Jackson and Eric Aho. In the coming months, she will be exhibiting in Homecoming, a show of work by distinguished alumni artists at Davidson College on view from October 12 – December 7, 2023. Her work can be found in significant public and private collections throughout the US.