Artwork copyright Susan Aurand. Photo courtesy of Washington State Arts Commission, 2017.

Artwork copyright Susan Aurand. Photo courtesy of Washington State Arts Commission, 2017.

When Such Thoughts Come, 1986

Susan Aurand
American (born 1950)

Location: Ridgeview Elementary, Yakima

About the Artwork

When Such Thoughts Come is a narrative drawing by artist Susan Aurand. It is part of a series of drawings with dream-like imagery combining exotic birds and children. In this piece, a young girl sees herself dressed in a fanciful bird costume. To make the composition, Aurand constructed an actual costume and had her daughter pose for sketches. The artist notes, “The birds represent for me the possibility of transcending one's limitations, of transforming oneself, if only in imagination. The drawings thus deal with questions of identity and suggest an unspoken understanding and communication between the children and the manifestations of nature.”

This artwork was acquired for the State Art Collection in partnership with Yakima School District.

About the Artist

Susan Aurand is a painter based in Olympia, Washington. She states that her work is "inspired by my passion for nature and my deep interest in symbols, metaphor, memory, and consciousness."
Aurand taught sculpture, ceramics, drawing, painting, art history, and humanities at The Evergreen State College from 1974 to 2018. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Kalamazoo College, Michigan, in 1972 and a Master of Arts degree from Ohio State University in 1974.