"No Pain... No Painting"

A visit with artist Suzzan Blac

Interview by The Grin Creeper

G&C: Suzzan, there is obviously a great deal of pain and torture in your paintings. Would you describe yourself as a person suffering from inner demons and haunted by ghastly dreams and visions?  In other words, could anyone tell by just looking at you that you paint such madness?

SB: Pain is my 'forte' and if I couldn’t express it in the way that I do, I really don’t know how I would deal with it. On the outside, I am always smiling, always joking. But on the inside, I scream with a twisting, gripping pain and vehement anger that would definitely tear me apart if I didn’t purge myself on canvas or write poetry. So, I do feel so very lucky to be able to do that, because many people can’t.

G&C: What I love most about your artwork is that you don't hold back or censor yourself. But have you ever felt that something you painted crossed the line?

SB: Hell yeah! I have a huge collection of 'private paintings' that I do not show. They are far too personal and violent -- delving into the very depths of pain and suffering. The few people that I did show these paintings to reacted in such a distressing way that it shocked me! And I vowed never to expose them to anyone again.

Continued in print issue...

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