Thursday, March 3, 2011

Susan Else and the 3rd Dimension



Susan Else
A Work in Progress
2005-2006
Mixed Media Fabric Sculpture
38"x20"x20"



A Work in Progress (detail)

Susan Else works with the same tools and materials as the rest of us quiltmakers.

But there's more than a front and a back to her pieces.

Forever Yours
2010


Chasing a Dream
She often works with a human figure
Whose figure many of us can all relate to...

Gaining


Boundary 2005
But sometimes the work is about fabric and space.

Here's what she writes about her sculpture:

I use cloth to create an alternate universe and the resutling work is full of contradictions: it is whimsical, edgy, mundane, surreal, and engaging, all at once. Each piece tells a story, but the narrative is always open to interpretation. The power and beauty of the surface play off the form and content of the work, and the result is a dynamic seesaw of meanings and possibilities.
Susan has work in two shows in 2011 at the National Quilt Museum in Paducah, Kentucky. The first, the invitational anniversary show from the Studio Art Quilters Associates, is called Celebrate!
It's scheduled for April 7 - July 11, 2011

And she'll have seven pieces as a guest artist in the show up from July 15 to October 4, 2011.
See more about the National Quilt Museum here:
http://www.quiltmuseum.org/


Check out Susan's webpage. She teaches her techniques and says " I do two- to five-day workshops where the class makes a group 3D dioramma (either village or jungle, depending on the class)."
http://www.susanelse.com/
No Fear Master

The Alliance for American Quilts has a project called Quilters' Save Our Stories in which one quilter interviews another.In 2008 they did an interview with Susan. Watch it here:
http://www.allianceforamericanquilts.org/qsos/interview.php?pbd=qsos-a0a8b5-a


Journal

5 comments:

  1. I like the first work of art.
    A reference to the 'Dornauszieher' (thorn remover). An old ancient Greek statue.
    http://hardy1.at/gallery/albums/2009-05-28-Pergamon-Museum/P1110158_der_Dornauszieher.jpg
    this is gorgeous !!

    greetings
    Kat

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  2. Wow! I'm off to check out her website.

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  3. I was delighted to see her work at 2009 Quilt National. Thanks for the post.

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  4. thanks for showing this incredible work. I am awed by the technique as well as the fabric selections, not to mention the workwomenship!

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  5. Wow! It's been quite a while since I've been so electrified by artwork. Susan's work is stunning. Using the quilt to form a three-dimensional figure forces me to look at the figure much differently than I would if it were painted, or photographed, or even sculpted in hard media. The sitting figure may just be my current "most favorite" piece of art!

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