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Susan Folwell Santa Clara Pueblo |
Please call us at 800-394-1843 or e-mail us at kgs@kinggalleries.com for more information about Susan or her work.
Recent works by Susan Folwell . . .
Tradition in Transition
In the midst of a family of talent, Susan Folwell shines with her own innovative pottery. Each piece brings to life her attitude of experimentation and emphasis on quality. The designs may range from Northwest coast images to traditional Santa Clara symbols, but each harkens back to her sense of the timelessness of these important cultural images.
Susan began working with the clay when she was just a child. Her mother, renown potter Jody Folwell and her sister Polly Rose Folwell, were both major influences on her interest in pottery. She studied ceramics at the Center for Creative Studies in Michigan and the Idlewidle School in California. While living in Kansas, she finally decided to quit her job and at age 24, began to make pottery full time.
Her early
pieces were reflective of those by her mother and sister. However, even
these pieces revealed her own artistic touch. After spending a summer in
Alaska, Susan began to incorporate Northwest Coast designs onto her pottery.
The images were incised and colored, creating a striking visual effect.
For Susan, it is not only the images, but also the colors,
forms and designs
which drive her work. her pieces have a decidedly "graphic" appearance,
with variations
from polished to matte, intricately incised to undecorated.
Susan sees her work as open to experimentation and variation, a view which
collectors have enthusiastically greeted with approval.
Over the past few years, Susan has own numerous awards for her pottery.
Her first big win was
"Best of Show" at the 1997 Eight Northern Pueblo Indian
Market. Since then,
she has won "Best of Non-Traditional Pottery" at Santa Fe Indian Market and
other awards.
Where to
now? Susan seems to broaden her artistic scope with each new body
of work she creates. She was one of the first Pueblo potters to begin
utilizing acrylic paints on her pottery. She has also moved beyond
traditional design elements, winning awards with pieces that have featured
images from the "Harry Potter" books on her pottery. Most recently she has
begun to deep carve designs into her pottery with stunning results!
Susan's vision takes her well beyond the expected and it is always a pleasure to
see how we follow along on this artistic adventure!
copyright 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008: King Galleries of Scottsdale & Susan Folwell