Susan Teare

Winner of the "Art of Healing" 2021 

Artist Statement - Susan Teare


I create emotive, primal and sensory-based experiences in spaces using a variety of materials and mediums. My art integrates the natural elements and seasons, awakening the sacred energy of the divine feminine. The lived experience is embedded, entangled and unfurled in the wind, snow, fire, rain, trees, birdsong and light. The regenerative and cyclical nature of my art connects others to our natural surroundings, creativity and community. My process contributes significantly to the work I do to increase awareness about mental health.

I have been living with yellow tulips for the past year in support of the mission of the Yellow Tulip Project to smash the stigma around mental illness. I draw, write, photograph and use other mediums to make art inspired by the tulips. I watch and document their life cycle and reflect on my own transience, mental health, positivity and hope. The founder of YTP and I are developing and implementing a mental wellness, nature-oriented art programming based on the daily creative practice of reflection and art making in log books for schools K-12.


“The purpose of a Hope Garden is to instill hope and happiness. Hope Gardens bring a community together to collectively smash the stigma associated with mental illness. After a long winter, tulips remind us of perseverance and the renewal of spring.”

To learn more about the Yellow Tulip Project Hope Gardens, visit their website here.

Susan Teare is an advocate of The yellow Tulip Project,

 which Susan has designated as her way to support Mental Health 

In mid-March of 2020, pandemic lockdowns caused people around the globe to shut their doors and spend more time inside. Schools and offices went remote, Zoom meetings became an everyday occurrence, and families and loved ones were spending more time together in their homes. For the Teare’s, that was no different.

The installation, titled “Find Your Own Space,” consists of nine silk panels, printed by Cone Editions Press in East Topsham, Vermont. Susan photographed doors and entryways on the first floor in their home and printed each one of them on silk fabric, to essentially reconstruct the layout of their home. Collaborating with Kirk, they designed and planned polycarbonate and stainless steel structures to frame and house the silk pieces within. They worked closely with Vermont Plastics Specialty, Inc. on the selection of the polycarbonate. Then, they installed the pieces into the landscape at the Lemon Fair Sculpture Park.


Susan Teare’s art comprised of photographs, prints and paintings, offer viewers unique insight into her world.  Her solo exhibition in San Francisco’s Siy Gallery is on view from June 1 to June 30, 2023.  

An enthusiastic gardener (in Vermont), Teare found her inspiration for the Siy Gallery exhibition in her own garden, where she plants tulips and records their life cycles and regeneration. Her images are soft and clear, suggestive, interactive, and provocative, tempting the viewer to look further and consider the intent. 

“The purpose of a Hope Garden is to instill hope and happiness. Hope Gardens bring a community together to collectively smash the stigma associated with mental illness. After a long winter, tulips remind us of perseverance and the renewal of spring.”  https://theyellowtulipproject.org/

Teare is an active supporter of the Yellow Tulip Project, providing “hope, health, and support” for children and adults – especially children – whose lives are affected by mental health issues. She has volunteered at her local Vermont hospital in a program titled, Art from the Heart through Burlington City Arts. After making creative projects with kids in the program, she and her Newfoundland, Ali, visited the same hospital for the next few years doing pet therapy. Teare has also assisted with adaptive ski instruction and has mentored local (Vermont) high school students in photography.

Meet artist Susan Teare in person at our private reception Saturday, June 17th, 4pm-7pm 2023 RSVP 415-275-2066

https://siygallery.com/collections/susan-teare