Even though Susan earned a BFA in Painting (in her senior year she was primarily making prints and sculpture) and a MFA in Sculpture, she has been working exclusively with clay since her first sabbatical study leave in 1999-2000. Susan was an art professor at the University of Saint Mary from 1992-2020. Her aesthetics have developed over time beginning with her first exposure to Chinese calligraphy as an undergraduate at the University of Kansas. Teaching art history at the university level required intense academic study of a wide variety of cultures. Though a great admirer of the creative accomplishments of the human race, her heart responds most strongly to Native American and Japanese art. Travel provided multiple opportunities to view original art. Memorable highlights which helped form Susan’s style and insights include:
Chaco Canyon, New Mexico and other areas featuring petroglyphs (sacredness of the earth)
The Alhambra in Seville, Spain (richness of ornamentation)
Avenues of magnificent trees which looked just like a Gothic Cathedral nave in Great Britain (inspiration from nature)
The Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi in Italy (the merging of architecture with painting, creating such power of expression!)
The Romanesque Benedictine Abbey Church in Vezelay, France (sung chants filling a sacred space)
Katsura Imperial Villa in Kyoto, Japan (the quiet, yet warm, elegance of asymmetrical design - depth of expression in garden design)
The Noguchi Garden Museum in Queens, New York City (man and nature in harmony)