After laying her gallery to rest and deciding to pursue more time in the studio, Susan Springer’s artistic focus has been much more meandering and playful. Particularly drawn to ceramics, including tile, sculpture, pottery, and mosaics, her artwork remains whimsical yet relevant to our current political climate.
“Since then, I’ve been making more figurative ceramic sculptures. Odd characters with arms and legs attached at impossible angles, oversized heads, and unexpected assemblages. Mostly figures, with a few birds, chairs, and boxes,” Springer says.
Constructed in parts and series, often times several heads or feet will be created and combined after the firing process has taken place. Intrigued by the expansion of form and surface while creating unexpected combinations of edge, form, and texture, Springer’s artwork evokes characteristics of dream, imagination, and wonder as various stories are told through her figurative sculptures.
“I never quite know how they will evolve. Sometimes one figure ends up on a chair originally planned for another, a red apple falls into a basket upon a head, or a bird’s nest is woken in the hands of a figure.”
Essentially, each figure generates another possibility, translating into the next figure. Whether it be little niches and drawers that reveal beads and buttons, or artist books and feathers, sometimes the figurative sculptures join other families, embracing surprises and allowing mystery to remain prominent.
Currently residing in Seattle, Washington, Springer has devoted her time fully to being an artist. In addition to being represented by Hanson Howard Gallery, she is also represented by Fogue Studios & Gallery located in Seattle, Washington, with several public art commissions in both Oregon and Washington.
