these art works are informed by the book,The Handmaid's tale,63"x60"

I feel like the word shatter

Detail OF JIMMY,10'x7'

detail 2 ,of jimmy

of jimmy,size 12'x7',mixed on canvas

Detail of ..before sunrise...size 10'x7',mixed on canvas

trying to suppress all thoughts of my sister,8'x6',mixed on canvas

she felt daughter-less

Informed by the book The Daughters of Juarez

before her mind broke

he held my face in his hands,10'x6',mixed on canvas

Details of these art works

and his nervousness become my own

she forgot the sun

Susan HarmonApril 5, 2016 · she remembered the sun,12'x5',mixed on canvas,informed by the book....... between shades of gray by Ruta Sepetys,about Stalin's ethnic cleaning of Lithuania

For James, Colored Rain,size 6'x5' on canvas

and the darkness shall clothe the land

This body of art is called Catharsis.

As defined: “Catharsis refers to an “emotional release for the characters in a literary work or an emotional release for the audience of the work. In Greek, the word Catharsis literally means ‘cleansing’. The emotional release that characters or the audience experience during the Catharsis can lead to a sense of forgiveness and renewal. Most tragic works of literature end with Catharsis.”

This art series places focus on healing. These works emphasize emotional mark making to evoke strong feelings in the viewer and ultimately peace to the artist.

This art series is born out of grief due to the passing of my oldest son, James who was living and teaching and writing in Russia and Eastern Europe when he went missing.

a girl in the river

she remembered the sun

sunlight comes creeping in

of Jimmy,10'x7'on canvas

detail

detail

detail

within these walls,7'x5',mixed on canvas-informed by the book by Rev. Carroll Pickett;Memoirs of a death house chaplin

THIS ART WORK IS BEING PLANNED AND DRAWN.

IMAGES COMING SOON!

words to inform this work:

hope does not flourish

i don't think its right he should die in the dark

the walls

to treat them like people

no one should die alone

faces frozen in despair

she saw her father cry

in darkness

no one no on

no on

no

no no on

no on

should die alone

alone alonealomealonealonealone

the candy man

inside the dark world of prison society

they thought I could not hear their whispers,7'x5'

Death Is Not The End WRITTEN BY: BOB DYLAN

Death Is Not The End

WRITTEN BY: BOB DYLAN

When you’re sad and when you’re lonely
And you haven’t got a friend
Just remember that death is not the end
And all that you’ve held sacred
Falls down and does not mend
Just remember that death is not the end
Not the end, not the end
Just remember that death is not the end

When you’re standing at the crossroads
That you cannot comprehend
Just remember that death is not the end
And all your dreams have vanished
And you don’t know what’s up the bend
Just remember that death is not the end
Not the end, not the end
Just remember that death is not the end

When the storm clouds gather ’round you
And heavy rains descend
Just remember that death is not the end
And there’s no one there to comfort you
With a helpin’ hand to lend
Just remember that death is not the end
Not the end, not the end
Just remember that death is not the end

Oh, the tree of life is growing
Where the spirit never dies
And the bright light of salvation shines
In dark and empty skies

When the cities are on fire

With the burning flesh of men
Just remember that death is not the end
And you search in vain to find
Just one law-abiding citizen
Just remember that death is not the end
Not the end, not the end
Just remember that death is not the end

Copyright © 1988 by Special Rider Music

https://www.facebook.com/SUSANHARMONART/?sw_fnr_id=2138278586 https://www.facebook.com/SUSANHARMONART/?sw_fnr_id=2138278586

breaking free

spilling red

and the cold tightened it's fist

STRANGE FRUIT

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BcCm_ySBslk

Informed by the poem/song STRANGE FRUIT(see link above)

15' long,sand,oil paint,string,wool,felt

Detail

Strange Fruit

By Billie Holiday and Abel Meeropol (1937)

Southern trees bear strange fruit,
Blood on the leaves and blood at the root,
Black bodies swinging in the southern breeze,
Strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees.

Pastoral scene of the gallant south,
The bulging eyes and the twisted mouth,
Scent of magnolias, sweet and fresh,
Then the sudden smell of burning flesh.

Here is fruit for the crows to pluck,
For the rain to gather, for the wind to suck,
For the sun to rot, for the trees to drop,
Here is a strange and bitter crop.

A MESSAGE FROM A STUDENT OF MINE REGARDING MY SAND ART

I have always admired Native Americans for their use of the land and their artistic abilities. While growing up we  lived in West Texas, there was this sand painting we had that always brought joy to my heart. It was earthwork, they took their surroundings and told a story with their craft while installing their heritage to be seen by the world. The Navajo word for sand painting means: iikaah "the place where the gods come and go." The art of sand painting and the ceremonies they conduct are done by the Navajo medicine men. Used ceremonial for healing of a disease or illness. Symmetry is to be accurate, the more symmetry the painting has the more healing power it has. Sand painting is seen as toxic if not destroyed after the ceremony. The painting is to be used to absorb the illness or disease and then returned to the earth within 12 hours of the performed ceremony. The history of sand painting is handed down by word and not written down to pass along for future generations. Pueblos were the first to create sand paintings and then spread to the Navajo, Apache and many more tribes. The four directions are depicted by a color, cornmeal, crushed flowers, charcoal and pollen were among many things to create the painting. Professor Harmon's work seems to be an art mixed with healing which uses techniques to create a sacred art piece with important content.. Everyone's view of fine art is different but to me this is more than fine art, this is a craft taken to from the earth and returned to the earth for healing.Professor Harmon's art embraces these attributes.

"through the black", informed by the book, girl in pieces, by Kathleen Glasgow. 7'x5',mixed,sand,string,wool,paint on raw canvas

a worrying silence,10'x7',mixed on canvas