Susanne Stephenson is widely recognized as a pioneer in her field. After completing her MFA from Cranbrook Academy of Art in 1960, Susanne went on to teach at Eastern Michigan University, inspiring the next generation of ceramic artists. Over the course of her career, Susanne explored a variety of different techniques and clay bodies. In the early 1970s, she began working with porcelain but eventually felt she had reached the material’s limitations. This led her to transition to a low-fire terracotta. The brilliant range of ceramic pigments at this temperature in thick, juicy slips and engobes caught her interest.

One constant in Susanne’s work has been her deep love of color and nature. Drawing inspiration from landscapes encountered during her travels, she abstracts and fragments these images, using them as templates for her forms. Her brushstrokes mimic the gesture of natural forces, sweeping across her pieces like the wind skimming the ocean’s surface. The works selected for this exhibition capture the gesture and visual energy that Susanne observes in nature.

You can explore the exhibit online here.