CINCINNATI — An apartment on Ludlow Ave. holds decades of unseen artwork by local artist Edith Susarret Marrero.
Her son, Manuel Susarret, has completely transformed his mom's home into a vault filled with her art.
An inside look at Edith's legacy:
Edith was born in Puerto Rico in 1923. She moved to Spanish Harlem, New York, with her family for a better life in 1928 and then brought her artwork with her to Cincinnati in 2005.
"People have told me they recognize her work from the windows around here," UC art student Dominic Bley said.
He lives in the same apartment building. Bley said he was walking in the hall one day when Manuel had his mother's apartment door open.
"Seemed like the right place at the right time," Bley said.
He shared how Edith's art took his breath away.
"You get a sense for the effect she had on people," he said.
That's when Bley and Manuel's partnership began. Both are working with the University of Cincinnati to have Edith's work archived.
Manuel said his mom's portraits were painted so powerfully that "you look at these faces, and you're waiting for them to say something."
He described how the details in her art make all the difference. That can range from the colors to the creases under someone's eyes to the sadness portrayed in a subject's brows.
"She never stopped thinking about light, color and the emotional response to it," Manuel said.
Bley said her art is timeless and almost haunting in the best way.
"It feels like I'm there with her in a number of ways like as the person looking at the model," he said.
Edith taught art classes with local artist Jimi Jones at the Cincinnati Art Club. I visited his studio on Findlay Street and asked him what it was like to work beside her.
"It was outstanding to work with her," Jones said.
He's even painted a portrait of her that's still hanging in his studio.
"Her art is a celebration of humanity," said Jones.
This is why Manuel wants to "share it with the world."
Edith's art is on display all across Cincinnati. You can check out the most recent exhibit at the St. John's Unitarian Universalist Church.
