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Boston Globe Review of "Invisible Disabilities"
I am thrilled to say that the show “Invisible Disabilities” has been reviewed by the Boston Globe! I am doubly thrilled that my work, especially the piece “Labile” was specifically reviewed! I am honored and blown away to have my work written about in this way. Thank you Cate McQuaid for your lovely review of my work. I am so glad it spoke to you.
Here is the review of my work by Cate McQuaid, July 5th, 2022
“Susan K. Teal suffers from anxiety attacks and trauma, she says in her artist’s statement. Her self-portraits, made in 2020, after the death of her aunt and in the midst of pandemic isolation, depict Teal expressing a range of intense emotions. In “Labile,” one expression unfolds to the next, as she screams, grits her teeth, and softens into sorrow. The emotional tone recalls Edvard Munch’s “The Scream” (and indeed, Munch wrote in his journal of suffering from tuberculosis and mental illness). Teal’s frank realism in self-portraiture is startlingly intimate. The succession of faces offers a progression from rage to sadness, and a clarity of self-witnessing, that makes room around the pain.”
Invisible Disabilities
It is my honor to have my work “Anxiety & Trauma, Series 2020” included in the in-person Unbound Visual Artists exhibition Invisible Disabilities.
Curatorial Statement:
Samantha Joyce, Curator
When we look at art, we want to see ourselves represented in it and in the space where the art is showcased. But what happens when you have a disability that is not easily seen by the naked eye?
Disabilities such as ASD (autism spectrum disorder), ADHD (attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder), chronic illnesses, Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/ Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) and mental illnesses are not always recognizable to individuals who are not familiar with them. Because invisible disabilities often go unrecognized, people with invisible disabilities are underrepresented in many gallery exhibitions.
With this exhibition, I want to create a safe and welcoming place for individuals who have invisible disabilities to share their experiences and their artwork. This exhibition aims to represent a variety of experiences and explores questions about representation: In what ways do works of visual art shed light on the experiences of those with invisible disabilities? To whom are different invisible disabilities visible and to whom are they invisible? Can increasing representation of individuals with invisible disabilities in art and other media lead to broader social changes?
It is my hope that this exhibit helps educate the public about invisible disabilities and provides a framework for how invisible disabilities can be better represented in the visual arts. I want other galleries and museums to see what we have created and follow suit, so we can continue to build a wider audience for artists with invisible disabilities.
Written Thesis
My written thesis is complete! I will be posting a link to read it as soon as it is copyrighted, but check out the cover.
Cover of my written Master’s Thesis
Master's Thesis Artist Statement
I have been working on my Master’s visual thesis for the last several months and I am proud to say I have completed it!
It took a great deal of work and emotional strength to get through this work. I have also completed an artist statement for the work I want to share here.
Anxiety and Trauma, Series 2020
My body of work explores the concept of self-identity. I am the subject of my own work, visually interpreting my struggles with anxiety and trauma. Using reference photos that I take of myself in the midst of anxiety attacks, I paint realistic self-portraits with multiple faces peeling away from one another, each expressing different emotions. The distortion created within my work is an effort to translate my complex feelings of sadness, anger, and fear on to the painted surface. In this way I explore who I am. The final effect borders on disturbing as it reveals a reflection of my reality.
This series was born in January 2020, inspired by the worst experience of my life; the disappearance and death of my aunt. In the months following, more events continued to add to my stress and anxiety and as I went into isolation with the rest of the world, I found myself unable to escape the thoughts and emotions that can overwhelm me. Trying to imagine what the future holds makes my chest tight and my fears rise. Focusing on the present, connecting remotely with the people most important to me, and using my artistic practice to redirect my strong feelings help me deal with these multiple traumas. Moving forward, I will focus on the short term. To the future, I can only have hope.
Process of jumbled face
I have been making jumbled face drawings for the last few months, and now I have begun to do so in paint. Here are some process pictures of the painting I began today. I hope to have it finished tomorrow and will begin a larger scale piece in a similar vein.
Painting Intensive
This summer I have been taking intensive courses at Salem State University as part of my Master's degree program. The two classes are a crafts workshop (finished last week) and a painting intensive. The crafts workshop was fun and we learned a lot of new techniques that I will be incorporating in to my bookbinding and jewelry making as soon as my studio is rebuilt in the next month or so. The painting course has been a revelation. I have learned so much in such a short time. In three classes I have produced five small scale painting, though unfinished, they have each been incredibly important steps to what I hope will become a body of work. Here are a few snapshots of the work I have been doing.
