Originally from the midwest, Susan Stover received a BFA from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio and her MFA from California College of Art in Oakland, CA. Both degrees concentrated in textiles and painting. Susan has been on the faculty of University of California - Davis, staff at California College of Art, and worked for 10 years with Jacquard Products, a textile paint and dye manufacturer. She has taught extensively including workshops in Australia, India, Italy, France, Mexico and throughout the U.S.
Susan has recently relocated from the northern California wine country to the Hudson Valley in New York. She is represented by Carrie Haddad Gallery in Hudson, NY and Cura Gallery in Morgan Hill, CA.
Statement
My work revolves around how we innately look for patterns in an attempt to make sense of or find order in our surroundings. At the same time I am interested in the human impulse to leave a mark and decorate. Approaching these visual and kinetic aspects, I construct pieces that blur the lines between painting, textiles, and sculpture.
Originating from an interest in textile structures and patterns, I consider my work to be a mash up of the Minimalist grid, and the Pattern & Decoration and Supports/Surfaces Movements. With materials such as cardboard, wood, oil and acrylic paint, and threads, my pieces might resemble quilts, maps, or networks. As I distort the grid and intuitively create structures, I rigorously hand-stitch elements, draw, and embrace the meditative act of repetitive labor.