SUSANNAH ISRAEL

The visual parade of urban life is a potent source of inspiration for my art work.   Crisp and vivid or fleeting and fugitive, a constant montage of images provides me with rich source materials while at work in the studio.

My approach to my materials, whether clay or paint, is a rash combination of practiced skill and reckless disregard for established conventions. I willingly sacrifice lifelike anatomy to questions of composition and gesture. I use both high and low-fire clays. I am also a confirmed alchemist, always testing new glaze formulas for the perfect surface.

My artistic practice is a fusion of planning, process, and discovery.  I begin with a series of drawings to develop a concept; I make notes about clay color, texture and finishes; when working directly with the material, I am alert to its expressive possibilities.  I want my work to convey a sense of this journey from perception to realization.