Sue McMullen

Trauma and loss are a part of life. I had a relative whose husband died at the point he was due to retire. She described the “kaleidoscope of feelings like being on a rollercoaster”. These words were the inspiration behind my painting of clowns to paint emotion.

I love to watch clowns performing and living statues in our city because the clown has a historical, social, and cultural connection to healing and transformation. A clown conveys a particular connection to human needs. The role of the clown, as I understand it, reflects the need to find joy in an often difficult life, accept the ambiguities contained within life, and even forgive life by tolerating its mess.

I have worked on a series of oil paintings inspired by Kahlil Gibran’s poem Joy and Sorrow in his book The Prophet. The “Shadow Self” was the first such oil painting. Clowns are so adept at expressing many varied emotions. They do this by being able to work between the good and the bad, the dark and the light, and thus, through paradox and ambiguity, shed understanding on the whole range of feelings. This often causes laughter or sadness. They act as a mirror for feelings. Sadly some people have an adverse reaction to clowns so fear them.

“RETICENCE” 8″ X 6″ http://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/Sue123Art

“HOPE” 30″ X 20″ http://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/Sue123Art