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The ever-changing
characteristics of the landscapes of New Mexico are the inspiration
for Susan Cohen's current series of clay-painting sculptures.
The clay panels of the sculptures subtly reflect the dualities
found in nature, and the tensions and calm inherent in it.
The titles are names of rivers and mountains, mesas, canyons
and historic cultural parks.
The panels are fired in an open-pit,
wood-fired kiln. The inevitable variations in the firing process
give each piece its unique character. It is the fire that
is the unifying element in all her work. The transient effects
of the flames are "frozen" on the pieces, which
embody the physical changes they have undergone.
Susan also is a studio potter. Her pottery,
both stoneware and porcelain, is wheel-thrown and reduction-fired
to cone 10 in a gas kiln, to which wood is added. She is fascinated
with Shino glaze, which varies in color for nearly white to
an orange-brown shade. The glaze, like that on the sculptures,
captures the random effects of the flame and the draft of
the fire on the work.
Susan is a member of the Hollin Hills Potters at the Torpedo
Factory. She has taught pottery classes for both children
and adults for many years, and currently teaches adult classes
at the Art League School in Alexandria. Her work has been
shown in galleries across the eastern United States, and is
in many private collections.
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