About: Artist Susan Margin

I refer to “sacred spaces”, whether intimate or grand in scale, as places and objects that contain, sustain and shelter life. These places and objects inspire my vessel forms and themes relating to vulnerability and transformation.

Woven clay coils provide the structure for my sculpture and are metaphoric expressions for the fragile, tenuous, web-like connection between all living things and our eco-system. The impact of time, natural forces and gravity pull matter back to earth softening and reinventing the original shape. My sculpture captures this metamorphosis during a moment between creation and collapse.

Various inks and dyes are applied after the final firing. Dominated by earth tones-orange, reds, browns, blacks and dusty blues, the vessels are often punctuated by the glow of metallic patinas. Several coats of wax are applied to protect and create a subtle sheen. The warp and weft of woven coils creates a lively calligraphic tapestry of lines, which contrast the smooth and quiet interiors. These contradictory surfaces and the use of trompe l’oeil create a visual seduction. Is it fiber, leather, metal, soft or hard? Is it woven or impressed? Is the interior a different material? Prompted to reach out and touch the vessel, the voyeur becomes an engaged participant completing the creative experience.

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