Sullivan was born in Oakland, Calif., and as a child moved to Eureka, where she has continued to live and make art. Her interest in the relationship between the psyche and art began some years ago as an HSU art student studying the art movements of Surrealism and Abstract Expressionism, which both embraced various concepts about the subconscious mind, Freudian and Jungian psychology, and universal symbols.
While her work tends to be influenced by her dreams, it sometimes comes through an approach known as automatic drawing where her subconscious is allowed free play. For example, Yellow Falls, 2000-2008, is a piece made up from a collection of hundreds of post-it notes that cascade out from the wall, each note featuring doodles created by Sullivan while she was on the telephone. As the conversations occupied a certain part of her mind, her hand was allowed to doodle freely. The notes bear the everyday responsibilities of life: appointment times, phone numbers, birthday reminders, and bills due. However, commingled among them are extraordinary figures, designs, and forms; the day-to-day world and the dream life unite on the everyday material of post-it notes. Yellow Falls reminds the viewer that not only do these two antagonistic worlds coexist, but that they are in conversation, each influencing the other—a major intention underlying Sullivan’s art in general.
The works of Sullivan have a fun and whimsical quality while also possessing something mysterious, even unsettling, about them. She gives us a sense of story, yet she offers no explicit narrative. She prefers a kind of “dance” between the art and viewer, presenting for us complicated puzzles to solve. It is in this dance where much of Sullivan’s magic can be discovered.
Sullivan will give a public lecture about her work on Saturday, Feb. 14 at 3:30 p.m. at First Street Gallery. Admission is free and open to the public.
An opening reception will be held at HSU First Street Gallery on Sat., February 7, from 6 to 9 p.m. The exhibition will run from Feb. 7 – March 9.
The gallery is open Tuesday through Sunday, noon to 5 p.m., and is located at 422 First Street, Eureka. Admission is free and those planning group tours are encouraged to call ahead at (707) 443-6363.
To learn more, visit www.humboldt.edu/~first