Susan Hanft - ceramics

Susan Hanft

Lives and works in Bastrop, Texas

Training first as a dancer and then as a visual artist, I studied ceramics with Huey Beckham at the University of Houston. Although I received a degree in ceramic sculpture, I spent years involved with performance art, multimedia installation, and mixed-media and digital collage. In 2003, I returned to clay with the gift of a kiln.

I’m very interested in the Japanese concept of wabi sabi. This aesthetic is sometimes described as one of beauty that is imperfect, impermanent and incomplete. I’m attracted to awkward lines, bold gestures, primitive marks and secret iconographies. Favorite artists in this vein include Basquiat, Tàpies, Twombly, and Texas artist Howard Sherman.

I’m fond of many surrealist artists, including Klee, Duchamp, Miró, Magritte and Man Ray. Like them, I’m attracted to the unconscious as a source of inspiration and often use their techniques to bring randomness to my work. I’m also a huge fan of mid-century modern design (particularly fabric patterns from that era), cartoons, comic books, Victoriana and typography. 

Ceramicists whose work I admire include: Ron Nagle, Sam Hall, Peter Voulkos, Brenda Holzke, Nancy Selvin, Mary Fischer, Ruan Hoffmann, Roberto Lugo and Stig Lindberg. Many of these approach ceramics in the same way I do, making simple forms that serve as surfaces for painting and drawing. 

My ceramic work is made from porcelain using slabs, crude extrusions, and, sometimes, slipcast elements. The imperfections inherent to hand building give even the simplest forms a quirky individuality, and sometimes a distinct personality. I decorate the pieces using a variety of techniques: scrafitto, stamping and underglazing at the unfired stage; stamping, drawing, painting and silkscreening with underglazes and stains following bisque; and the addition of handmade overglaze decals and 22k gold luster in a third firing.

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Selected Shows