By Madison Lyon / Nina Winkel Intern, Plattsburgh State Art Museum
Students attending SUNY Plattsburgh are familiar with the Adirondack region and can look to contemporary artist Susie Brandt for finding inspiration in our everyday surroundings.
Based in both Portland, Maine, and the Adirondack Mountains of Upstate New York, Brandt’s work explores color, functionality, landscape and human’s relationship with nature. She is commonly known for her interest in textile art, such as weaving, rug hooking and stitching using repurposed fabric.
Although Brandt always had a talented hand in art, she decided to further her skills by attending Philadelphia College of Art where she received her bachelor of fine arts in 1984, and then received her masters of fine arts from the Art Institute of Chicago in 1987.
Since her graduation, Brandt has become an established artist with permanent collections in Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Museum of International Folk Art in Santa Fe and the Albany Institute of History and Art. Throughout the past 10 years she has also had solo exhibitions in Portland, Maine, Maryland, Seoul and Albany, New York.
This specific piece was one of 100 slices that were commissioned by the Lake George Arts Project. The intent behind the project was to help people become confident in buying pieces from living artists to help start their own art collection. The curator of the project chose four artists to create 100 pieces of any media. Brandt decided to create the Adirondack Slice, carefully applying colored pencil to each wood cross-section, varying in color and size.
Looking throughout Brandt’s career, wood is not her typical medium, making this piece unique. Brandt’s residency in rural Upstate New York is greatly reflected in not only this piece, but much of her artwork.
