Artist Profile:

Susan Slapin says she sometimes feels "like a jazz piece in a pop music world." She sees not only the physical world but senses the spaces between its shapes. These perceptions become visible in her portfolios of work in printmaking, painting, and photography. Her talents are diverse: she is also a teacher, and in 2004, Island Passages, a book of her sepia photography and poetry, was published.

Susan has been taking photographs for 40 years; her first remembered black/white photo was of two trees in Big Sur. As a photographer, she is interested in the poetic landscape, the spirit of nature, and the people within it. When she selects subjects to photograph, she comments "engaging perspectives and textures are essential content." She takes color, black/white, and sepia film photos for outdoor, natural portraits and small weddings. Mother and child and senior citizens are favorite subjects for her photography.

For Susan, each medium has its own joy and journey. In her etchings, monotypes, and paintings on paper, the spiritual world is the essence of her work. She sees her abstract colorfields as naturescapes and hopes viewers will experience renewed appreciation for the natural beauty of the islands and perhaps, in contemplation of the abstract, also find a deeper peace and meaning. The process of printmaking appeals to her, for she experiences life in multi-layers and the layers of the printmaking process come together on one piece of paper.

A monotype is made by painting color layers directly on to plexiglass plates using brushes, sponges, or ingenuity. The plexiglass is then put on a press and one image is hand-pulled, thus the term monotype. If a "ghost image" remains on the plate, that serves as a matrix for more paint and a second printing, a monoprint.

For her etchings, Susan uses zinc plates. An image is etched into a plate with nitric acid, the plate is inked and then wiped clean with a starched cheesecloth and put on the press. Prints are hand-pulled and multiple numbered prints can be created as an edition.

Orcas Island is a long way from Susan's Connecticut childhood. Her grandfather moved to America from Hungary, learned English, and owned a large printing company in Connecticut. He handset type, and she remembers the multiple presses, the images (record covers) rolling off the presses, and the smell of ink, which she loved. Twenty-two years ago, while living in Ojai, California, she first saw photos of Orcas Island. In the years before becoming an islander in 1996, she studied at California colleges, San Francisco Art Institute, and then earned her Degree in Art from Marylhurst College in Portland, Oregon. In addition to teaching high school art in Ojai Valley, she was an artist in residence at many Portland area high schools. She has had solo exhibits in Lake Oswego and at Marylhurst College and shown her work in group exhibits and galleries in California and Oregon. On Orcas Island, her photography is included in the collection of work of outstanding San Juan County artists in the Lambiel Museum.

Susan delights in teaching. The studio at her home is just about finished, where she will offer art instruction for individuals, age 6 to adults. She defines herself as an artist, teacher, and facilitator whose focus is on the individual creative process with a free-spirited approach combined with some structure. During the past few years, visiting families, or small groups staying at B&Bs, have asked Susan to give them one-day workshops.

Susan's art is at Waterfront Gallery in Eastsound and The Artworks, Orcas Island artists' cooperative, in Olga; in August/September she will have a show at The Artworks Cafe. Island Passages is available at Darvill's Books in Eastsound, at the Little Portion Store on Shaw, and Islehaven Books & Borzoi on Lopez Island. Her monoprints will be in a Benefit Show on June 18 at the Museum of Northwest Art in LaConner.

View the artist's work on her Web site: www.orcasonline.com/~slapinarts. Giclee prints from Susan's monotype and etching portfolios are available for purchase as well as her photographs and sets of greeting cards. You can contact Susan via e-mail at slapinarts@orcasonline.com or 360-376-8855.

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