Susana Wurzel

Despite the fact that my career was in psychology, I have been an artist and a maker all my life. For the past six years, I have set my paints, collage papers, and other materials aside, and have focused primarily on working with textiles. Stitching holds a quiet fascination for me. There is a meditative aspect to the slowness of the process and to the sound of thread moving through fabric. Embroidering is simultaneously exciting and soothing, as I translate ideas and memories into stitched images. My work itself deliberately blends the old with the new. I often use stained, imperfect vintage textiles as my canvas. Not only does this practice link me to the long tradition of “women’s work,” but it also supports my ethic of upcycling and reusing scraps that might otherwise be discarded. Embedded in each piece is a knowing and a recollection that are not mine alone. My artwork is narrative; there are stories and memories depicted in each piece. My maps are personal depictions of places where I have lived, with special attention – in the forms of buttons or bits of fabric – to areas of special significance, such as my home and those of my friends. The map of my childhood in Los Angeles is full of references to the colorful adventures that seemed to be part of my everyday life as a kid, who was lucky enough to be growing up in a place where the sun was always shining. The stitching in my work bears witness to the paths that I have taken, the choices that I have made, and to who I am…and to the person I am still becoming.