Susan has been interested in ethnic adornment most of her life. As a self taught jeweler, she combines her long time interest in buttons and found objects to create work that is informed by her studies in anthropology and global folk art. Susan is intrigued by the Northwest Coast Indians and their use of buttons as emblems of social standing. What was originally a strictly functional trade item became a status symbol for the indigenous people who would sew buttons on blankets in order to …
Susan has been interested in ethnic adornment most of her life. As a self taught jeweler, she combines her long time interest in buttons and found objects to create work that is informed by her studies in anthropology and global folk art. Susan is intrigued by the Northwest Coast Indians and their use of buttons as emblems of social standing. What was originally a strictly functional trade item became a status symbol for the indigenous people who would sew buttons on blankets in order to display them as a show of wealth. The use of an object out of its original context is an ongoing theme in her work. Living in the Southwest, Susan is inspired by the long history of Native American silversmithing - a tradition that she greatly admires. In her work, she attempts to reflect attributes of this tradition - simplicity of style and technique, respect for materials and a search for harmony in one's work rather than for perfection.
