As an intuitive thinker and trained geologist Susan is interested in melding the unknown with the known to explore stone on several levels. Her geologic designs are carefully researched and accurately illustrate geologic terranes while Susan’s abstract work is filtered through her geologic mindset and plays out as interwoven stone tapestries. As an artist she creates each composition with an eye to color, contrast, and texture; the geologist-on-her-shoulder is looking deeper into the stories the materials tell.
Susan’s opus sectile mosaic is created from a variety of earth materials that are inlaid into 2- and 3-D art work. The work is material-driven with the stone being an essential part of the design. She is inspired by its veining and banding while being equally stimulated by understanding its formation and discovery. Susan especially enjoys juxtaposing elements that are not found together in nature. It can take years to accumulate the ideal rocks for a new work of art, but there is magic when the right balance of materials is unearthed!
Susan pioneered the techniques used in her art work which has been described as ground breaking. She is completely self-taught in cutting, polishing, and inlaying stone. The process of transforming a boulder into slices, then polishing and precision cutting the slices into pattern pieces that jigsaw together can take hundreds of hours. Susan challenges herself by seamlessly piecing together small slices of rare material so they create a larger “canvas” from which to work. Because of the inherent challenges of this work, she has several pieces in progress at one time.
Some themes that continue to inspire Susan include the cosmos, geologic time, primordial landscapes, and layers within layers. Recently she has created work reflecting her interest in the power of the geosphere and the existential threat of volcanism to the biosphere. She is also dedicated to geo-conservation. Susan hopes that her tactile art elicits appreciation, stimulates curiosity, and leaves the viewer in awe of our earth’s mysteries.