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The ever-changing characteristics of the
landscape 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 tiles 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, either in a wood-fired kiln or in a gas-fired
kiln to which wood is added. She is fascinated with Shino
glaze, which varies in color from 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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