"Corona" Series

Artist Susan M. Epperly was diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent six months of chemo therapy in 2017. While the experience temporarily robbed her of her crown of long, thick locks, she found that enduring and surviving the ordeal bestowed her with a figurative crown of strength that had nothing to do with her hair. In 2020, Susan also survived a protracted bout of COVID-19. These experiences inspired Susan’s 2021 mixed media series titled, “Corona,” which features magical women of all walks of life proudly donning their own crowns of strength. Susan’s illustrative style, which joyfully blends fantasy and whimsy, evokes a parallel universe of cultural mashups; intertwined myths and legends; and hybrid heroic archetypes. Women draw strength from their cultures, religions, and spiritual beliefs; their families, friends, and partners; their animal familiars; their faith in science and reason; their love affair with the arts and literature; and a myriad of other sources. Susan has attempted to incorporate many of these themes into her series to represent her subjects’ wellsprings of strength and empowerment. And in each piece, this strength is ultimately represented by a crown. Just as all women’s lives are tapestries and mosaics of their varied and serendipitous experiences, and their strength is drawn from unique collections of surprising and unexpected sources, Susan’s pieces are assemblages of mixed materials including acrylic paints; fabric; lace; paper; beads; sequins; glass; tiles; found objects; deconstructed jewelry, clothing, belts, purses, and other upcycled garments and accessories; and all manner of other decorative materials. Susan considers herself a “beauty scavenger,” and the eclectic contents of her studio are a testament to her ability to see every castoff bit of ephemera or trash as having beauty and having the potential to become a component of one of her mixed media assemblages. Susan hopes that her series will remind us that all women are noblewomen; that we all earn our crowns by traversing our own paths and overcoming our own unique challenges; and that those crowns are entirely unique, precious, and glorious. ©2021, Susan M. Epperly