SUSAN McLAUGHLIN
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Madame Garden Party

Madame Garden Party, mixed media on linen, 40 x 30 inches, 2019 ⬤
Exhibited at The Arnot Art Museum, Elmira, NY

Kiss the Moon

Kiss the Moon, acrylic on linen, 30 x 24 inches, 2019
Exhibited at The Bonnet House Museum, Ft. Lauderdale, FL

Out of Thin Air

Out of Thin Air, mixed media on linen, 40 x 30 inches, 2019

The Man Under my Bed

The Man Under my Bed, acrylic on linen, 30 x 24 inches, 2019
Selected by the Armstrong Gallery, Savannah, GA for the Armstrong National 2D Competition Exhibition.

Castle in the Sky

Castle in the Sky, Mixed media on linen, 36 x 24 inches, 2019

Imaginary Friend

Imaginary Friend, mixed media on linen, 40 x 30 inches, 2019

Wildflower

Wildflower, acrylic on linen, 30 x 24 inches, 2019

Wings

Wings, acrylic on linen, 36 x 30 inches, 2019

Knight in Shining Armour

Knight in Shining Armour, acrylic on linen, 36 x 24 inches, 2019 ⬤

Nightwings

Nightwings, acrylic on linen, 36 x 30 inches, 2019

Leaving Home

Leaving Home, acrylic on linen, 36 x 24 inches, 2019

Cathedral of Bones

Cathedral of Bones, acrylic on linen, 36 x 36 inches, 2019

Loose Ends

Loose Ends, acrylic on linen, 36 x 30 inches, 2019

Coming OUt

coming Out, acrylic, cut paper, glitter on linen, 36 x 30 inches, 2019

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AFTER PARTY

Created in my Manhattan studio 

In this body of work the human and natural world melt into one. Humans and animals coexist in a natural utopian democracy. I combine elements of reality and fantasy to shed a new light on the interrelationship between humans and the natural world around us.The animals in these paintings function as symbols and provide subtle clues and playful suggestions about my work. The reappearing wings transport us to alternate realities. We as humans fit with nature so beautifully that viewers never even question the visual liberties I take while painting, for example, a cake for a hat, butterflies as bowties, and human/butterfly hybrids. Instead, observers are free to find beauty in places where they never before thought to look.

Working on these and the Garden Party paintings, I did not know I was painting a garden party. Upon completion, observing them lounging against my studio walls, though, I knew just where I was–at a garden party among my “guests.” And who doesn’t like a party?

Copyright 2025 Susan McLaughlin