Susan Behrends Valenzuela
Las Primitas
Oil paint on stretched canvas, laser cut acrylic, assorted beads and charms
18 x 36 x 1.5 inches
2022

Behrends Valenzuela has had an evolving relationship with photography. As a child, Susan felt confused by the idea of family photographs and constant documentation; the artist often frowned or covered her face in response, not understanding the importance of capturing these images. Las Primitas depicts the artist and her cousin, covering their faces in anticipation of a photograph. In her current artistic practice, the artist takes inspiration from family albums, re-contextualizing past moments by combining her family’s photographic representations with what she can process and remember today.

Susan Behrends Valenzuela
Watercolor in the backyard
Crocheted acrylic yarn
64 x 47 inches
2022

Watercolor in the backyard evokes an intimate moment of nostalgia. The crocheted rug summons memories of childhood and leisure time. While BehrendsValenzuela’s work reminds us of a moment of repose, viewers can also imagine the physical and therapeutic practice of crocheting. The relationship between the artist’s physical body and Watercolor in the backyard is quite layered– involving labor, time, nostalgia and memory.

Susan Behrends Valenzuela’s work appears in Open House: Object-making as a Therapeutic Practice.