LONDON.- British 3D mixed-media artist Sue Haskel opened her Summer show 'The Third Dimension’ at The Plateaux Gallery at Thomas Goode on South Audley Street, Mayfair.

With a background in marketing and interior design Sue Haskel is now a 3D mixedmedia artist working primarily in paper and metal. Sue is inspired by the interplay between pattern and repetition, light and shadow, contrast and texture. She gathers ideas from her surroundings - from urban cityscapes to the natural world. Her themes are wide-ranging and include books, pyramid structures, leaves, fish and butterflies.

The Plateaux Gallery, which has a worldwide reputation for exquisite contemporary works of art, with exceptional studio glass as well as functional and sculptural pieces, is based in the quintessentially British, architecturally fascinating and luxurious surroundings of Thomas Goode & Co.

Sue's work features in private collections worldwide, including the collection of the former chairman of the Tate Gallery, Lord Stevenson. He says about her work: “ It’s rare to come across work which is at the same time unpretentious yet original. Sue uses paper so as to create beautiful and three dimensional work. Both of the pieces we have bought off her are hanging in our house and are giving great pleasure to us, our family and friends.”

Sue is showing over twenty works in the show which essentially transform two dimensional materials such as paper into decorative three-dimensional forms. 'The Third Dimension' brings to The Plateaux Gallery not only the physical depth and volume in Sue’s work but some colour and optimism for our somewhat tired and cynical age. Sue also takes commissions and her original designs can be customised to suit a client’s brief by incorporating photos, logos and memorabilia.

Included in the show are:

Order out of Chaos,
1m x 1m, mixed media
Order Out of Chaos depicts a grid-like cityscape viewed from above comprising four hundred pyramid structures made up from layers of intricately patterned papers. The work serves as a reflection on our lives, how we strive to create some sort of order from the chaos around us – life does not offer us a perfect solution, the pyramids though orderly are not uniform, but we can navigate a way through. The bright colours reflect an essentially positive and optimistic outlook on life.

Quiet Friends,
50cm x 50cm, mixed media
Quiet Friends depicts the important influence that books can have on our lives. Like quiet friends, they are always there for us, yet demand little from us. Like quiet friends they can open up new horizons for us, provide alternative points of view, advice, escape, learning and inspiration. I have created a pile of books in three dimensions, almost tumbling over each other in their eagerness to enlighten us, to render life more visible, to make us a little bit better at being who we really are. But books are like people, some we meet are not just friends, we will fall in love with them, whilst others will leave us unmoved.

Let Your Spirit Fly
50cm x 50cm, mixed media
In my work I am drawn to butterflies, they are deep and powerful representations of life. Indeed, many cultures associate the butterfly with the soul, and some see it as a symbol of joy and change, it is a miracle of transformation and resurrection. My work enables you to catch some movement and dance, as you pass from one side of the work to the other. The butterflies are represented in two circles, representing the self, an inner circle of peace and calm surrounded by the soaring spirit.

Abundance
50cm x 50cm, mixed media
I use the circle to represent the self with swirling fish in this picture. In some religions and cultures, fish represent abundance, the title of the picture. In fact, the Chinese word for fish (yu) is pronounced the same way as abundance. Spiritually, people with the energy of fish swim freely and adapt easily to new circumstances. My swimming fish represent movement and liberation, determination and flexibility – the optimistic spirit.