Education and Early Training

Susan Jamison established her technical foundation through rigorous academic training in the United States. She earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts from James Madison University in Harrisonburg, VA, before moving into advanced studies. Her trajectory continued at the Rhode Island School of Design in Providence, RI, where she completed a Master of Fine Arts in painting. This period of study was marked by significant recognition, as she received the Award of Excellence from the Rhode Island School of Design.

Her professional development has been supported by specific institutional validation. In 2014, Jamison was named a recipient of the Lillian Orlowsky and William Freed Foundation Grant for painting. This grant underscores a career built on formal discipline and a commitment to the specific demands of her chosen medium.

Technique and Artistic Style

Jamison’s practice is defined by the deliberate, ritualistic use of egg tempera. By using egg yolk as a binder for her pigments, she employs an ancient, demanding medium that dictates a specific, disciplined approach to layering. This technical choice connects her contemporary imagery to a long history of religious and decorative painting. Her work is not limited to the canvas; she utilizes painting, drawing, fiber sculpture, and installation to build her visual language. The physical presence of her work often involves themes of wrapping and binding, mirroring the tactile nature of the textiles she references.

Her compositions frequently center on female figures, often decorated with hot pink, flowery patterns that recall the precision of embroidery. These figures exist alongside a personal menagerie of creatures, creating a landscape where the human and animal realms intersect. There is a specific tension in her imagery, drawing inspiration from the sweetness and delicacy of Indian Kama Sutra illustrations. She uses this reference to explore the balance between passion and harmony, often placing animals within scenes of human coupling to suggest a natural, indifferent witness to intimacy.

Exhibitions and Career Highlights

Jamison’s presence in the contemporary landscape is marked by a consistent presence in significant publications and solo exhibitions. Her paintings have been featured in three volumes of New American Paintings, a distinction that places her work within a specific lineage of American figurative practice. This recognition aligns with a career defined by steady, focused exhibition histories across various institutional and commercial spaces.

Her recent trajectory includes a 2022 solo exhibition, All My Love, at the VMFA Fellowship Exhibition in Richmond, Virginia. This followed The Frequency of Roses at Chroma Projects in 2021. Looking further back, her work has occupied major regional venues, such as the 2010 exhibition Into the Forest at the Taubman Museum of Art in Roanoke, and the 2010 Swallowtail exhibition at Irvine Contemporary in Washington, DC. These shows demonstrate a sustained ability to command space in both museum and gallery settings.

The artist's reach extends to major metropolitan art hubs. She held For the Curious at Spanierman Modern in New York, NY, in 2008, and Tatting Tales at the Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art in Winston-Salem, NC, in 2007. Earlier, her 2006 exhibition Full Bloom at the Second Street Gallery in Charlottesville, VA, established her presence in the Virginia art scene. Her career is built on these specific, documented engagements with both public and private exhibition venues.

• 2005: Sugar Me Softly - Indianapolis Museum of Art

Where to See the Works Today

Susan Jamison’s presence in permanent collections confirms the institutional recognition of her specific visual language. Her paintings and multi-disciplinary works are held in several significant American institutions. The Indianapolis Museum of Art in Indianapolis, IN, maintains her work, as does the Mint Museum in Charlotte, NC. In Virginia, her pieces are part of the collections at the Eleanor D. Wilson Museum at Hollins University and the Taubman Museum of Art in Roanoke, VA. These locations provide a physical record of her career and her engagement with various regional and national art landscapes.

The reach of her work extends beyond these primary sites. The Ogden Museum of Southern Art in New Orleans, LA, and the Longwood Center for the Visual Arts at Longwood University both hold her pieces. Her influence is not confined to the United States, as evidenced by her inclusion in the Zabludowicz Collection in London, UK. This international presence, alongside her holdings in numerous private and corporate collections, ensures her imagery remains part of the ongoing dialogue in contemporary art.