Painting with Beads and Thread
Susan Sorrell is an intriguing fiber artist for a variety of reasons. First, her work (of course). But Susan is also an active participant in the community that has built up around her work. -But more on that in a minute...
She creates painted, embroidered (and sometimes beaded) pieces that are jam-packed with images and ideas, flowing and bumping into each other, as though they are all being lassoed by a space cowboy on her canvas. Sometimes a piece will have one subject, but even then, the methods and materials give your eye an extra layer of interest on the already clever images.
We have these playful, color-saturated pieces that amaze the viewer with embroidery and embellishments. So, is she mainly a painter, beader, embroiderer or collage artist? Let’s let Susan answer in her own words, “It depends on the mood I am in. Some days I am a painter, then I am a printer, other days I am an embroiderer...right now...in this time and moment I have been embroidering more. "
Second, Susan Sorrell teaches online courses. She draws on her experience as an art teacher, and designs courses that are intended to help her students develop their creativity, versus simply create a “project”. As Susan says, “When it comes to my online classes; that is where my Masters of Education came in. It was by a fluke that I connected with Joggles.com and the owner asked me to do an online class. So, it was pretty easy to design the lessons and it took off from there. I really focus on developing classes that have creative "meat" to them; not just projects.”
Third, Susan has developed a social network for mixed media fiber artists, titled "Fiber aRt/mixed media" at www.fibermixedmedia.com. She is truly modest when she says that it has grown "quite a bit. "It now has over 1,800 members! So why did she get into social networking? She started it to help stay in touch with other artists and create a space where a collection of artists could feed off of and inspire each other. According to Susan, “I have a bad habit of isolating myself from others whie I am in my studio, and this helps me keep my hand in the fiber art world. Also, I have met a lot of cool people and do a live blog chat each month with different guests. You just never know who you will bump into that will help your career.”
Finally, Susan maintains an active studio, where she creates and sells her work. With all of the development, teaching and web activities she participates in, I made the broad assumption that much of her studio work at this point was really a production process. Not so. She may work in a series, but when someone buys her art, she wants them to know that they are receiving a one-of-a-kind piece.
Interestingly, Susan doesn’t tend to show in galleries. In her own words, “I don't do many juried shows; the fees start adding up and I would rather spend that money on my studio or supplies. In the last two years, I have concentrated on getting published in books to get my name and work out in the public eye. On my blog there is a list of the books where my work appears and I am excited to be published with many well-known fiber artists! The most recent book is Rice Freeman-Zachery's Creative Time and Space, and it is awesome!”
Here is where you can find out more about Susan and her projects:
http://artist.to/creativechickstudios/
http://artist.to/littlehouseartstudios/
Lace, Mixed Media
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