Artist Member
Where we once were
Bound, painted collage series
Japanese stab binding, faux crocodile paper, vintage book cloth (circa 1960), linen thread, and glass seed beads
7 h x 11” l
Virginia Woolf, contained
Hinged Lid Box Book
Collage with text and photo from a vintage copy of Orlando, hand-marbled corrugated cardboard
5-1/2 h x 4” w
Memorial
Collaged monoprints, acrylic
18 h x 33″ l
Susan St Maurice 
BIO
Born in Flushing, NY, I have always made art and crafted objects both functional and ephemeral. With little formal art training, I’m grateful to the teachers who helped me along the way and the muses who inspired me to go off in new directions.
A month before the COVID shutdown began, I retired from a long stint as a technical writer. With lots of time and nowhere to go I delved into monoprint making and renewed my interest in paper/fiber art. Recent focuses include 2D and 3D collage, Joomchi, and crochet. (Oh, and bookmaking.) My work has been exhibited at LexArt, Concord Art, and the Fitchburg Art Museum.
ARTIST’S STATEMENT
Much of my inspiration comes from 30+ years of hiking through conservation areas near my home in Bedford, MA. Observing the macro and micro changes that occur day-by-day within a specific location over a long period of time offers an endlessly recursive view of my own place within the all, and grounds both my vision and output. Found and natural objects inspire and often include themselves in my work. Nature’s ways strongly influence both the precision and randomness expressed in my art, encouraging both the spontaneous combination of materials and placement of components.
Bookmaking is a new direction that allows me to further develop previously created work by exploring issues of presentation, organization, and embellishment. The book format sometimes leads me to find words—consciously articulated or not—embedded in the visual imagery in my work, something I plan to explore and expand on.
I love the technical side of book design and production, and how I can create a framework where content can be handled and manipulated, as well as displayed. By holding art close, rather than viewing it from a distance, it can be experienced more intimately while, hopefully, it continues to evolve and ambiguate further in the viewer’s mind.