Loveliest of What I Leave Behind... (paintings by Susan Jane Walp)

Not “Revelation”—’tis—that waits,

But our unfurnished eyes—

 --Emily Dickinson

Melon with Two Xeroxes, Cork and Knife
1999
oil on linen
9x9.5"

I met the artist Susan Jane Walp when I went to the Italy this summer.  She was a special guest teacher in the JSS program, and I was lucky to attend her lecture, during which she showed us many of her paintings.  My favorite part was when she read us some of her favorite poems.  Here are the poems, along with some of my favorite Susan Jane Walp paintings and drawings.  My favorite painting advice she gave during the lecture is this:

"There's a time for everything in painting: a time to begin, a time to end."

--Susan Jane Walp

Late Winter Beet and Spring-Dug Burdock
2010
oil on linen
8 x 8"

Loveliest of what I leave behind is the sunlight,

and loveliest after that the shining stars,

and the moon's face,

but also cucumbers that are ripe,

and pears,

and apples.

--Praxilla of Sicyon, fragment 747

Three Zinnias in a Glass of Water

oil on gessoed paper_9.75x9.375inches
2012
oil on gessoed paper
9.75 x 9.375"

No bone-chilling 

autumn wind

could pierce me

like this spring storm

scattering blossoms.

--Izumi Shikibu, translated by Jane Hirshfield and Mariko Aratani

Study for Papaya with Bowl of Walnuts
1994
graphite/colored pencil/gouache on hand-toned paper
11 x 15"

Although the wind

blows terribly here

the moonlight also leaks

between the roof planks

of this ruined house.

--Izumi Shikibu

Four Figs, Two Swans, and Pair of Scissors
2017
oil on linen
10.125 x 10"

Surgeons must be very careful

When they take the knife!

Underneath their fine incisions

Stirs the Culprit—Life!

Emily Dickinson (c.1859)

Study for Blueberries wih Wax Paper Bag, Cork and Shell
2003
graphite/egg tempera on hand-toned paper
10 x 12 3/4"

By Chivalries as tiny,

A Blossom, or a Book,

The seeds of smiles are planted—

Which blossom in the dark.

Emily Dickinson (c.1858)

Olive Branch in a White Plastic Cup
2007
oil on paper
9 1/8 x 8 15/16"

As I dig for wild orchids

in the autumn fields,

it is the deeply-bedded root

that I desire,

not the flower.

--Izumi Shikibu

Study for 'Succulent in a White Plastic Cup'
2007
graphite, felt tip pen, and gouache on hand-toned paper
Sheet: 16 3/8 x 18 1/4" Image: 13 11/16 x 13 5/8"

You can see some of Susan Jane Walp's work this Friday, October 6:

Art at King Oaks

a Bucks County pop-up exhibiton

opening reception 6-9 pm

756 Worthington Mill Road, Newtown, Bucks County, Pennsylvania