Don’t miss an opportunity to see local artist J. Susan Aitken’s stained glass style oil paintings on display at the Village Arts Factory in Canton. This color drenched exhibit Fusion of Light & Color: A Stained Glass Inspiration will be open to the public the month of May 2023.
CANTON, MI, April 2: At first glance you will want to peer closer at J. Susan Aitken’s artwork to understand what you are seeing. Combining color and painting technique, she has captured the illusion of stained glass on canvas. “During a wonderful journey I made with my children years ago, we experienced stained glass masterpieces in France and Italy that took my breath away. The light and the color were unforgettable,” Aitken remembered, this being a catalyst for the exhibited paintings.
J. Susan Aitken’s oil paintings will be showcased at the Village Arts Factory in her exhibit, Fusion of Light & Color: A Stained Glass Inspiration, through June 2nd. Her entire collection of color infused stained glass paintings will be displayed for the public.
The irony of using paint to rather than glass is not lost on the artist. “For me it wasn’t just one creative decision; rather, it evolved from experiencing the beauty of glass infused color to an affinity to illustration and the bold lines of batik. The outcome has been to put it all together in a style of painting incorporating encased shapes of color and lines woven in complex design.”
Most of the exhibited paintings are inspired by Aitken’s imagination or experiences rather than existing stained glass windows. Garden of Eden and Garden of Tranquility were inspired by beautiful statues woven into her paintings, creating a new idea as well as symbolism.
Instead of the reflective light of glass, there is a constant luminescent quality created through the painting technique which is not dependent on outside light. “One advantage to painting is that I have more freedom to weave 3-D images, creating narratives beyond the scope of glass,” Aitken said. Frogoyle: Escape from Washington National Cathedral, an 18-inch by 24-inch oil on canvas, depicts the 3-dimensional form of a frog gargoyle. An alternate narrative was created by placing the gargoyle in a garden. This same idea is found in The Ugly Duckling, a thirty-inch by 24-inch painting, except it uses the sculpture of the Hans Christian Andersen inspired cygnet from the Meijer Garden and Sculpture Park.
Although many of the paintings in the collection reflect nature, storytelling and symbolism, others focus primarily on color, pattern and geometry, such as Trinity Design and Crimson Pop.
“There will also be several triptychs — a large one called Unwavering Love, which not only has spiritual significance but also symbolizes a mother’s love for her children; a field of poppies called Field of Remembrance, which makes a bold statement of color; and Everlasting Peace, unique for its handmade hinged frame and harks back to medieval style,” Aitken says.
Aitken finds it rewarding to share her vision with the community. “I love seeing how people react to it and connect to the images. My work does not speak to politics or causes, rather it reflects a sense of order, ideals of beauty and peacefulness, which is universal. It’s my desire that people
sense these things, and beyond appreciating the paintings, leave with a renewed feeling of hope and optimism.”