Susanne G. Stephenson

1935Born Canton, Ohio

EDUCATION

1957BFA Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

1960MFA Cranbrook Academy of Art, Bloomfield Hills, Michigan

PRIMARY WORK EXPERIENCE

1963-1991Professor of Art, Eastern Michigan University, Ypsilanti, Michigan

1960University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan

BIOGRAPHY 

Susanne Stephenson is known for functional forms that carry Abstract Expressioist surface decoration.

Stephenson's ceramics typically begin as a functional vessel form made of Woodman low-fire terracotta. She shapes the clay using a combination of techniques including throwing, coiling,, and slab building. Once the vessels are  leatherhard or bisque fired she uses thick colored slips, engobes and applied clay crumbs to create an impasto, painterly effect. Inspired by nature, especially water, Stephenson's Abstract Expressionist surface decoration often evokes a landscape. She occasionally uses scraffito carving to finish her works, revealing colors beneath the top surface and increasing the sense of movement inherent in her works.