ARTIST STATEMENT

I create highly textured abstract pieces with new and reclaimed fabric, paper, and objects, thread, and acrylic paint. My work bears the imprints of the manipulation of my materials: the ripping, unraveling, and layering of fabric; the stitching and knotting of threads; the printing, dripping, and scraping of paint. 

My art emerges from memories of city, shore, and woods. Peeling billboards and cracked sidewalks. Seaweed, sand, and stones. Rough bark and plush moss. I see beauty in imperfections in my environment that are wrought by time, natural elements, and human use. Likewise, I cherish the imperfections in my work that arise through accident, intuition, and improvisation.

ARTIST BIO

Susan Finer was born and raised on Long Island, New York. As a child, she admired her artist father’s imagination and craftsmanship.

In high school, she was drawn to the masks and metalwork of the Metropolitan Museum and the Museum of Modern Art’s collections of early to mid 20th century art. Meanwhile, a trip to Mexico piqued her interest in the sculptural and textile traditions of Central and South America.

While attending Northwestern University, Finer studied weaving with Chicago fiber artist Irene Suyeoka. She discovered the work of fiber artists like Albers, Tawney, and the quilters of Gee’s Bend as her own work progressed from utilitarian objects to more complex fiber art. Later, while living in Boston, she took classes at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts and Massachusetts School of Art as well as many fiber workshops.

Finer’s work has been exhibited widely in galleries and museums throughout the country. Locally, she is represented by FRANK Gallery in Chapel Hill.