The Griffin Museum is pleased to present an evening with photographer Susan Weiss, the creative artist behind her new monograph, The Orchard.
Join us on Thursday November 7th, starting at 6.30pm at the museum in Winchester for a presentation by Weiss, with a book signing following the talk. Books will be on hand for purchase at this event. THE ORCHARD is the photographic study, created in an abstract manner, of an apple orchard in Vermont. Photographed over a two year period, 2020-2022, through all seasons, the images reveal seasonal changes as well as evoke emotional states of the artist and the greater population during a difficult period of time that everyone was experiencing in those years. Photographed with a Mint lnstantKon RF70 camera, the images were created in camera and vary in abstraction, multiple exposure, different focus lengths, and changes in color palette. The wide variety of imagery speaks to the many moments of the pandemic cycle and allows the viewer to ponder those complex times and reflect on the feelings expressed such as grief, loss, renewal, and hope as portrayed by the changes of season and annual cycle of the trees. About Susan Weiss - Susan Weiss works in the visual arts in many mediums, including photography, film, painting and drawing. Her work explores the issues of personal identity and the psycho-social landscape. She also teaches drawing and student artist portfolio preparation both live and in zoom consultation. Susan's projects include the ongoing series Humanity in the Modern World, documenting people doing humanitarian work in other countries, most recently at the El Paso/Ciudad Juarez border with a Washington D.C, based NGO. Her recent short documentary film Lia: A Bodybuilding Story is has been presented in the international movie festival circuit and has many laurels and awards. The Orchard, a photography book will be published by Green Writers Press of Brattleboro, VT., and will debut October 1, 2024. Susan photographs with both digital and film cameras depending on the project, including Mamiya 7II, Leica M9P and Leica M10, Polaroid SX70 and 680, Iphone 15 Pro Max, and plastic toy cameras. Exploring and photographing the human condition is the major theme in my work. I attempt to connect with people and photograph their lives to document what makes them unique as individuals. The stories are personal but they become my stories as I photograph and interpret through the lens of my camera, and their lives become my art. It is this attraction to lives that are unique and with a sense of vulnerability that drives my work.