SUSAN STAIR

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Susan Stair is an environmental artist based in New York City. Her large-scale art installations are created with clay impressions of live tree bark incorporating mosaic landscapes. Stair also maintains a practice of smaller scale ceramics that she calls Tree Portraits and collages that illustrate the Wood Wide Web and the Mycellium network. Her work is  informed by her ongoing study of trees and their impact on the environment.

Stair has produced four temporary public art installations in New York City Parks and 3 permanent installations including The Rosa Parks School Lobby at PS 189 in the Bronx, a residential lobby in Harlem and a free library in Marcus Garvey Park.

Stair has exhibited in the United States and Asia where she lived for many years. Originally from Philadelphia she holds an MFA from the University of Delaware and a BA from the College of Wooster.

In the artist own words:

Trees are my source of inspiration, as an environmental artist I am promoting an understanding of the impact that trees have on our environment and our daily lives. We simply cannot survive without them. I take clay impressions of live tree bark which captures their history, species, age and endurance. I often cast the trees that are in the immediate vicinity of my public art installations so that the viewer can touch the bark at the same time and make the connection.

To create a narrative my artwork incorporates what I refer to as guerilla mosaics, a technique of applying tiles, Smalti, gold and silver leaf on Wedi board to be installed on fences, and unexpected vertical surfaces outdoors or indoors.