Hello, Friends. My name is Marie Sussman, and I am a painter and potter. Born and raised in rural Iowa, I grew up in an amazingly talented family with members who excelled in the sciences and dabbled in the arts. However, artistic pursuits were viewed as hobbies with little “future” professional application. Inspired to express myself through artwork as a young person, I experienced contentment and peace when creating, which took me from my busy schedule of sports, clubs, and academics to a place of peace and serenity where I knew everything would be ok. This calling gave me the courage to pursue an art education degree in college.
During my Art education programs at Peru State College and Boston University,I enjoyed many diverse cultural experiences and met people from different backgrounds. Through my educational and personal experiences, I came to believe that all art is essential to our culture and society. We are all connected, and through art people can connect across all barriers.
However, the pressures and stresses of life were still there throughout studying for my bachelors and masters, teaching, and being a mom. I was not equipped to handle them leading to bouts of depression and anxiety. Having these emotional and mental health highs and lows to work through guided me to my individual art again to express my feeling and find the positive.
In my years of striving to have a positive impact in life I have become a master artist educator to amazing students young and old, a wife to a supportive husband, and mother to 2 wonderful little boys. Through these experiences my art evolved from still life and portraits to surrealistic imagery to symbolize the struggle through and hope found at the end of a dark time. I am my best self when I create, it makes me whole and gives me self expression to communicate with people, creating connections with strangers through basic human experiences. I strive to provide groundedness to the natural world and the essential being, giving a human connection we are often missing in our virtual world through my work. Cutting through the superficial and illuminating the essential makeup through connection, understanding, and peace the natural world and positivity can provide for people struggling with depression, anxiety, and the constant worry the everyday can bring.
WHO? WHAT? WHY?
I gather inspiration from the natural world of the midwest where I grew up and of the colors of the impressionists, the surrealist imagery. I choose my subject matter to communicate the different struggles of life and the positive character traits we lean on to get through the hard times mentally. I get inspiration from my daily mantras or positive sayings and natural elements for emotion and connection in my work. Connection to the who, what, and why we are.
Create Art to Connect
I create original one of a kind pottery, paintings, and drawings of many subjects and sizes. I use stoneware or a porcelain bodied clay to create different hand-built and wheel thrown pottery. I fire using a multitude of techniques including raku, horse hair, wood/gas firing, and electric kiln. With these different techniques I am able to bring unique one of a kind natural pieces. I also use the preciseness and expressive quality of graphite, the natural flow of watercolor, vibrant pop acrylic, and contrast of marker to create mixed media work that connects to people in many different ways.
My work has a bit of me and my energy in it. Each piece I make, I am communicating with you; it is me, the whole of me. There are no masks, roles, or perceptions. My work has all of my life experiences, my flaws, my successes, and all the years and hours I have spent honing my skill and talent. My work is unlike any others because I use imagery to encourage, inspire, help with a positive mindset and provide understanding and connection. The way I combine and use textures, feelings, media, and experience is uniquely me because no one else has lived my life.