I come from a strong family tradition of working with ones hands, especially quilting and sewing clothing. Similar to a garment fashioned from patterned cloth, I piece together my pots from velvety, white slabs of porcelain decorated with patterns and textures. I apply and wipe off colored slips and glazes to reveal the whimsical ornamentation on the body of the piece.
I am moved by the folk art traditions of Asia and Central America, in particular textiles, folk pottery, and holiday images. I am also inspired by architectural embellishment like a Dutch roof line, Mexican tile work and Art Deco terra cotta as well as a passersby fanciful shirt, the plants in my garden, even the play of light and shadows on a sidewalk.
Even though my work looks very decorative, I create each piece so that it is fully functional. I want the owner of my pieces to appreciate their whimsy and beauty as well as their utility.
education::
-BS in Education, 1976, University of Missouri, Columbia
shows/exhibitions::
1977-present- Kansas City, Kansas Art faculty exhibit
1977, 80's-
Santa--Cali-Gon Days Festival, Independence, Missouri
Sedalia Maple Leaf Festival, Sedalia, Missouri
Tri Delta Art Auction, 1st place amateur category
Art Westport, Kansas City, Missouri
1988-
founding member, KC Clay Guild (KCCG), logo designer
2002-
Orton International Cone Box Show, Baker University, Baldwin City, Kansas then travels worldwide, 2002-2003
NCECA: KC Clay Guild Members Show, KCMO
Funk to Functional Teapot Show, KC Clay Guild, KCMO, 2nd place "funk"
2002 to present-
KC Clay Guild Holiday Tour, KCMO
2003-
Brookside Art Annual, KCMO
Smoky Hill Exhibit, Fort Hays State University, Hays, Kansas, cash award, "Bone Daddy and Mama"
Founders Show, KC Clay Guild, KCMO
Teapots to Still Lives, Spring Street Gallery, Galena, Illinois
Art Westport, KCMO
Hair of the Dog, featured artist, Eclectics Gallery, KCMO
Images Gallery, January featured artist, KCMO
La Petite XI, National Small Works Exhibit, Alder Art Gallery, Coberg, Oregon
Bones and Flowers, solo show, KC Clay Guild, KCMO
2004-
100 Teapots 2, Baltimore Clayworks, Baltimore, Maryland
Potter to Potter, the Club Mud National Juried Show, Maude Kerns Art Center, Eugene, Oregon
Vitrified Clay National: Form and Content, Rockport Center for the Arts, Rockport, Texas
Solo Show, West Wyandotte Library, Kansas City, Kansas
Gigantic: Ceramic Figurines, Kirkland Arts Center, Kirkland, Wash.,
Da Yu Xiao Hu: International Small Teapot Competition, 2nd place, -Saddleback College, Mission Viejo, Ca.
Prairie Village Art Fair, Prairie Village, Kansas
Art Westport, KCMO
Plaza Art Fair, KCMO
Open Studios, KC Artists Coalition tour of artists, KCMO
Funk-tion National, Stretch Gallery, Pineville, North Carolina
Greater Midwest National XX, CMSU, Warrensburg, Missouri
2005-
1st Annual Florida Teapot Show, In Bloom Gallery, Ft. Myers, Florida
16th Annual Teapot Show: On the Road Again, Chiaroscuro Galleries, Chicago, Illinois
Smoky Hill Regional Exhibit, Hays State University, Hays, Kansas
Prairie Village Art Fair, Prairie Village, Kansas
Smoky Hill River Festival Fine Art Fair, Salina, Kansas
Fountain Square Art Festival, Evanston, Illinois
Guess who's Coming To Dinner, invitational dinnerware show, KCCG, KCMO
Art Westport, KCMO
KC Clay Guild group show, Waldo Library, KCMO
Bridge Gallery, Village Presbyterian Church, Prairie, Village, Kansas
2006-
Da Yu Xiao Hu: International Small Teapot Competition 2, Saddleback College, Mission Viejo, California
First Biennial Concordia Continental Ceramics Competition, Concordia University, St. Paul, Minnesota
Feats of Clay, Lincoln Arts, Lincoln, California
Prairie Village Art Fair, Prairie Village, Kansas
Smoky Hill River Festival Fine Art Fair, Salina, Kansas
Art Westport, KCMO
Cure of Ars Holiday Bazaar, Cure of Ars Catholic Church
KC Clay Guild Holiday Tour, KCMO
Pleasures: Teapots, Strecker-Nelson Gallery, Manhattan, Ks.
http://www.streckernelsongallery.com/Artists_nu/Teapot/TeapotSlideShow/index.htm
2007-
current work: Susan Speck, solo show, KC Clay Guild, KCMO
Silent Conversations, Craft Alliance, St. Louis, Missouri
By the Ounce, NCECA, Louisville, Kentucky
Solo show, Lenexa City Hall, Lenexa, Kansas
Strictly Functional, Market House Craft Center, Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Solo show, June 10 -- July 31, Birger Sandzen Memorial Gallery, Lindsborg, Kansas
Prairie Village Art Fair, PV, Kansas
Smoky HIll River Festival, Salina, Kansas
Stone Arch Art Fair, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Uptown Art Fair, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Art Westport, KCMO
KCAC Open Studios, KCMO
collections::
Birger Sandzen Memorial Gallery, Lindsborg, Kansas
workshops::
2005- February-"When You Don't Have the Proper Clay Equipment...Making Do", Bracker's Good Earth Clays, Lawrence, Kansas
2004- April- Hand building, Harmon High School, Kansas City, Kansas
2004- April- Handle workshop, KC Clay Guild, KCMO
currently represented by::
Bohemian Gallery, KCMO
Strecker-Nelson Gallery, Manhattan, Kansas
bibliography::
Columbia Flier, Baltimore, Maryland, January 29, 2004, photo, "Clayworks Tempestuous Return to Teapots", Mike Guiliano
Review Magazine, KCMO, September, 2004
Kansas City Star, KCMO, September 22, 2004
Kansas City Star, article in "House and Home", KCMO, August 14, 2005
professional::
1988 to present-founding and continuing member, KC Clay Guild, (logo designer), board member, newsletter & workshop chairman (2005 to present)
2003-to present- member of Potters Council, Kansas City Artists Coalition, NCECA
[
hide]
Special Offer:
