Su Blackwell is an artist working predominantly within the realm of paper.
Paper has been used for communication since its invention; either between humans or in an attempt to communicate with the spirit world. Su employs this delicate, accessible medium and uses irreversible, destructive processes to reflect on the precariousness of the world we inhabit and the fragility of our life, dreams and ambitions.
Su teaches regularly in schools and colleges across the UK and has exhibited her exquisite sculptures around the World. Her illustrated book of fairy tales ‘The Fairytale Princess’, published by Thames & Hudson was re-released in 2015. Su has designed art fabric for Liberty London, and her illustrations have contributed to regular columns in ‘Intelligent Life Magazine’ and ‘Harper’s Bazaar UK’. She has also turned her hand to art-direction for commercials, for clients such as Volvo and Disney, and to set-design. In 2011, Su appeared on Radio 2’s Art Show to talk about her set for The Rose Theatre’s production of ‘The Snow Queen’.
Su says of her work, “I often work within the realm of fairy-tales and folk-lore. I began making a series of book-sculpture, cutting-out images from old books to create three-dimensional dioramas, and displaying them inside glass domes or wooden boxes”.
“For the cut-out illustrations, I tend to lean towards young-girl characters, placing them in haunting, fragile settings, expressing the vulnerability of childhood, while also conveying a sense of childhood anxiety and wonder. There is a quiet melancholy in the work, depicted in the material used, and choice of subtle colour.”
Su Blackwell Studio Ltd. was set up in 2011. The studio undertakes work on a variety of projects, commissions and collaborations.
International Clients include Grey Goose, Waitrose, FT, and Crabtree and Evelyn.
Su is represented by Long and Ryle Gallery, London.