Local painter’s art reflects her nostalgia for a time gone by
Susan Allin reflects on her life, camping in Jacob's Bay with her family, to create nostalgic works of art.
For a lot of us, when that feeling of nostalgia kicks in, all we have to tap into are our memories. For artist, Susan Allin, however, she uses her paintings to give life to that nostalgia.
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When she was six years old her teacher at the time entered her art into a local agriculture show. “I vividly remember the picture. It was a drawing of a broken doll lying in a field.” This art piece would not only go on to win her first prize, it would be the first of many pieces that she would create from then on.
For Allin, who in September had her work exhibited by the Emmarentia-based Argentinian Association, it is essential to her mental and soul health to spend time in her studio as it unhooks her from stress. It also forces her to come to a standstill and, as she puts it: ‘Just to be.’ To create her art she uses acrylics as they are fun and quick to dry and gives the chance to add on other media such as ink. “Oil. I love the smell of turpentine. The way it helps me pretend to be an old master. Oil is also very forgiving, as one can blend colours on the canvas if they did not turn out right the first time.” Of the many paintings she has created, it is a series of paintings in acrylics, which she did about two years ago, focusing on children, using ink to create movement, which, she says, gave her much joy, were quick to do, and sold well, which was a bonus.
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While she creates these paintings it’s the sounds of Andrea Bocelli, Il Divo, and various oldies that can be heard coming from her studio. She loves that she can immerse herself in not thinking, just creating, with no self-criticism, just a focus on the image. Allin thinks art should provoke, or elicit discussion.
Many of her paintings are based on her childhood on the west coast of South Africa. She was born at Langebaan Air Force Base, where her father was a teacher. It was her time spent at Jacob’s Bay, halfway between Saldanha and Vredenburg, where she and the paternal side of the family would camp which inspires her. “My cousin and I used to swim in the bay, play on the rocks, catch fish with lines and hooks. Idyllic! My paintings reflect much of that nostalgia.”
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