Susan Black
mixed media
Armed with a degree in art from the 1970s, I spent 20 years as a graphic designer, followed by 10 years in trademark and copyright illustration, and then switched gears to copywriting in 2006. Along with writing and designing greeting cards, drawing cartoons and doing caricatures over the years, I wrote and illustrated a rhyming children’s book in 2011. My interest in collage/assemblage was reignited a few years back and has become a happy obsession. Through my mixed media work, I play with diverse materials (many recycled), incorporate humor and boldly express my views. A piece often starts with a specific vision, but can take on a life of its own as problems (and serendipity) arise, leading to a very different resolution. The entire process is maddening, mysterious and strangely satisfying. Now that I’m over 60, I realize the truth — and urgency — of a favorite greeting card: the outside sports a nude older woman surrounded by colorful artificial flowers, pinwheels and garden gnomes; the inside states “Life is too short to be subtle. Happy Birthday.”