Susan Lee’s Artist Statement

I often find it hard to put into words what it is that drives me to create. My family has told me that I was always “artsy”. Even from the time I could hold a crayon, I was always putting my creative mark on the world around me. Sometimes even on paper! I always had my little found treasures in my special drawer, for one never knew when they would be needed to embellish something.

Wherever I am, I’m always looking for those natural treasures that are found all around me. Things like stones, bark, pine needles, pinecones, feathers and such have always been fascinating to me. Collecting them over the years has gotten me quite a few treasures. I thought it would be interesting to find a new way to put them to use. That’s when I began making pine needle baskets. And so it began!

I really never know where the basket is going to take me. I let it speak to me as it progresses. Some of the most interesting ones are from not really trying to force the needles where I think they should go, but to allow them to take me along for the ride. Once I start, I cannot stop for very long. I feel I lose the rhythm of the creative moment. I feel totally caught up in the design and can’t wait to see where it goes. A small basket can take as little as 4-6 hours and a big one can take 25-30 hours. Along the way, I try to think of the many ways that I can use the treasures I’ve collected to embellish this particular basket.

Some of my trademarks are the use of black walnut slices, polished geodes or medallions on the bottom of the basket. I have family and friends all over the country look for unusual items that I might use in my basket making. Some collect the feathers from their birds, while others look for natural dried items that I can’t find in Georgia.

I gather the pine needles from live trees and let them air dry for several weeks. I like the way the color stays a muted green and the smell is also still present. Most of the needles come from Georgia, but I like the ones from South Carolina and California because they are longer and bigger in diameter. The Ponderosa Pine needles are some of the best, but very hard to find in places that I can safely reach! While I’m traveling around the country, I’m always on the lookout for unique needles.

While making the basket, the needles need to remain pliable, so they are kept moist, but not wet. I use waxed Irish Linen Carpet Thread for the decorative stitching. I try to incorporate as many natural items as possible. I use feathers from Turkeys, Peacocks, Gulls, Blue Jays, Parakeets, Ducks and Geese to name a few. The bone beads come from Africa and the Caribou bone slices are from Alaska. I like using tiny pinecones or seedpods from all over the U.S. Lately, I’ve been using pieces from my other art endeavors, like beading, metalsmithing, and paper making, for another dimension of color and texture. Who knows where this will end?

Email: designing-woman@charter.net
Website: www.designsbysusanlee.com

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