About Susan

“Just start somewhere — anywhere. Down a road, you travel each day — what attracts your eye?  Sketch it in your mind. Sketch it on paper. Even if you're not aware, you will make choices about the view and the mood of the place. You will put down marks that are not only visual decisions but also automatic self-marks.

So here I am in a place of knowing a few things about my direction and my path.  I have made enough marks to be able to look through my paintings, prints and even my landscape design layouts to observe my sense of style. I see many patterns, active diagonals, and a strong color palette.  

There is an Asian influence, probably from my admiration of Japanese woodblock prints and Japanese gardens. My figurative work also explores activities such as floating or dancing, common themes in my personal dreams.

My paintings, mixed-media and hand-pulled prints also deal with spacial concerns. I have attempted to capture the non-Western, Japanese focus I see in their woodcut prints. These printmaker’s use of space is unique. They place shapes in the picture plane in a forceful manner, often ignoring the identity of the represented image for the sake of layout and pattern play.

Often the medium directs the outcome. Woodcut prints throughout history exemplify boldness. The cuts made in the woodblock as well as the inks rolled on the woodblock surface can speak with daring and directness.

New materials spark creativity. An example would be my mixed media prints using fabric and stitching. In Where the Grasses Bloom I have layered my paper prints on linen and then sewn on top the twisted pieces of silk I identify as grasses.

Now back to the drawing board, or perhaps a ride down a side road.”