Melinda Stickney-Gibson on Susan Rothenberg
It's a curious thing to feel an immediate and unflagging connection and respect for a fellow painter's work, but that is what happened when I first saw Susan Rothenberg's paintings (in reproduction) in the early 80's; later, after I had seen several of her exhibitions in NY, the connection and respect continued to hold true.
Susan Rothenberg, Snake in a Rabbit Hole, 2005-2006, Oil on Canvas, 49 x 50 inches
There is the obvious love of paint, the immediacy and physicality of making in her paintings, her emotionally condensed, meditative nature, and a glorious lack of cynicism. Her picture of nature and humankind is an integrated one. Genuine is the word. And that is a quality that cannot be manufactured.
"Some kind of truth about some kind of thing."-- Susan Rothenberg, Art21 interview, 2005
Melinda Stickney-Gibson, LOSING LARSEN C, 2017, Oil on Linen with Steel Rod, 84 x 72 inches
Melinda Stickney-Gibson is represented by Littlejohn Contemporary in NYC, and John Davis Gallery, Hudson, NY. She currently has a solo exhibition at Thomas Masters Gallery in Chicago.