Susan Steinhaus Kimmel, Artist
Artist Statement
Art begins as a conversation with oneself. Driven by emotion and love of formal design principles, I seek to interpret both the grand shapes of nature and the intimate ideas from my imagination. Upon completion I invite others to join in the conversation.
My art expresses a quiet appreciation for the beauty of materials and textures, feelings about places traveled, and messages of hope and celebration. In the Eastern Washington landscape I find both beauty and strength. My mixed media collages infuse shapes gleaned from the land with geometric shapes, thus forming a link between humankind and nature.
Abstract marks, made by the thousands, have evolved into my own visual language. Along the way they have been informed by calligraphic letters, edges of shapes and the beauty of other written languages. These intuitive marks or gestures, usually formed with Sumi ink, provide the life-giving force in many of my works. The spontaneity of the ink gestures give emotional voice to the muted tones in the meticulously arranged paper collages. They distill my inner emotions and energy into a strong sense of place.
My small one-of-a-kind books and boxes are finely crafted statements exploring nature, seasons and poetry. Infusion of text and image, the artist’s book evolves from idea to form. The creative process for these books involves meticulous planning and intuitive meshing of words and shapes. The intimate scale of the books requires the viewer to come close and engage themselves in the creative process.
I speak a visual language that has been woven with threads of experience and colored with seasons of my life. The meaning of my art comes not from intellectual discourse, but from articulation of feelings. I want my art to affirm life and be a reminder that there is a positive aspect of humankind worth celebrating. Art is the dance of my heart. And I intend to keep dancing.
My art expresses a quiet appreciation for the beauty of materials and textures, feelings about places traveled, and messages of hope and celebration. In the Eastern Washington landscape I find both beauty and strength. My mixed media collages infuse shapes gleaned from the land with geometric shapes, thus forming a link between humankind and nature.
Abstract marks, made by the thousands, have evolved into my own visual language. Along the way they have been informed by calligraphic letters, edges of shapes and the beauty of other written languages. These intuitive marks or gestures, usually formed with Sumi ink, provide the life-giving force in many of my works. The spontaneity of the ink gestures give emotional voice to the muted tones in the meticulously arranged paper collages. They distill my inner emotions and energy into a strong sense of place.
My small one-of-a-kind books and boxes are finely crafted statements exploring nature, seasons and poetry. Infusion of text and image, the artist’s book evolves from idea to form. The creative process for these books involves meticulous planning and intuitive meshing of words and shapes. The intimate scale of the books requires the viewer to come close and engage themselves in the creative process.
I speak a visual language that has been woven with threads of experience and colored with seasons of my life. The meaning of my art comes not from intellectual discourse, but from articulation of feelings. I want my art to affirm life and be a reminder that there is a positive aspect of humankind worth celebrating. Art is the dance of my heart. And I intend to keep dancing.