The Mixed Media Process - The creation of art has been a long-life
passion for me. But when introduced to clay in 1979, the real adventure
began. Since then, I’ve explored wheel thrown clay forms, both porcelain
and stoneware, transforming them sculpturally, by multi-dimensionalizing
them with fiber. Each design blends texture, color and balance, inviting
the imagination to question, dream, explore and enjoy. It is for this reason
that I believe my work has been so enthusiastically accepted.
Each piece is formed on the “potter’s
wheel”, then given much attention to details with hand building and carving.
The six week process includes two slow firings. After the first one, many
glazes are airbrushed on each piece and high fired to 2400 F.
Then the natural fibers of South
Asian reeds are individually hand dyed. In the paper making process, cotton
and linen are beaten with water to create a pulp and placed in a vat, where
a screen (mold & deckle) is run through collecting the pulp. The water
is drained forming a sheet of paper. Each sheet of paper is sculpted or
pressed, dried and airbrushed with multiple acrylics. Lastly, each design
achieves its final composition, as handmade paper reeds and often bamboo
or other vines, are incorporated into each. Airbrushed or brush painted
silver leaf and lusters are applied giving each design its own, ethereal
quality.
Susan Fox Hirschmann
