My art is created through a slow and deliberate process. I strive to make believable atmospheres and images that will evoke emotional response, achieving this through a collage of fabrics and stitching. Often I’ll work spontaneously, but on larger pieces, I will spend more time exploring my concept before I actually embark on the fabric stage. Ideas are like acquaintances I’ve just met. Some are intriguing enough that I want to get to know them better. After I’ve spent some time with them, some fade and others become close friends.
Pastoral Disturbance by Susan Polansky © 2009
Craft and composition support fabric collage content
I use photos for reference, and often I use Adobe Photoshop to combine parts of photos. Finding images with similar perspectives can be quite tricky, so sometimes I will round up a collection of images that gives me enough information to draw a synthesis of them.
Previously, I would make everything up as I went along, but I’ve found that preparation before the fabric stage has streamlined my process. I will use an immediate approach for a smaller piece, but if I intend on making a long term commitment, I don’t want to leave the composition to chance.
Earlier pieces experimented with materials and techniques but now my work is more content driven. I can really focus on what I want to say, and draw from all my previous experience to form the vision that I wish for. I might research authenticity, for example: “Pastoral Disturbance,” refers to a tragedy that occurred in an Amish schoolhouse, but the women I originally drew wore Mennonite bonnets not worn in Pennsylvania. In “No One but You,” I needed to find out about accordions, so I did a Google Image search to supply visual information.
The story of “No One but You”
From the start, I was prepared to devote a serious amount of time to “No One but You,” (juried into Quilt National 2013). In fact, it was particularly the knowledge of how long it takes to create my art that provided inspiration for this piece, along with a family vacation photo. Frozen in time were two dancers sharing a moment amid a bustling background. A fleeting moment caught forever by the quick click of the camera. Would I be able to capture the same feeling with an artistic process so unlike photography? With this premise, I set out, not knowing it would take three years to reach a conclusion.
“No One but You” by Susan Polansky, currently on view at the San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles
Why did it take so long? Like many artists, I struggle with the balance of studio and family time, feeling as if I never have enough time with either. I love the times that I’m so engrossed with who I’m with or what I’m doing that all obligations fade away, and there is no pull of “something other.” It was the quiet repose of the dancers that attracted me to the photo that I was working with in the first place. But life (and death) intervened – I lost eleven people in two years. Despite the emotional upheaval, I kept returning to the studio. How could I focus on these little pieces of fabric when there was so much turmoil around me? I knew that if I could make the connection with my art, get lost in it, the background would fade. Outside the studio, I was consumed with managing estates and dealing with other people’s things. I became ever so aware that the things were not crucial to the memory of the deceased. The things I wanted to hold onto were not things at all, but the times I had shared with them. The connections when everything else – the noise, the backgrounds – did not matter. Just the finite, precious time spent with them was what I wanted to freeze in my memory.
“No One but You” began with a photo, but was not a copy of a photo. With the number of tools, like Photoshop, available to artists, copying photos to create realism has become more common. Yet some pieces remain soulless: they are mere copies. I felt the emotion of my piece and really understood the meaning of the work as it evolved. The advice of a teacher to “paint what you know” resonates with me. The success of “No One but You” encourages me to be wholly engaged, and time will become meaningless.
What’s Next
The quilt that I am currently working on required a lot of drawing in preparation. I was so concerned about getting the perspective correct that I took some extreme measures. After my initial sketches disappointed me, I built models out of clay to actually make the scene I had in mind, so that I could “see” how it looked. And then, when my drawings still weren’t quite right, I hired a drawing coach for a few hours to help me figure out why some figures just didn’t look human enough.
I’m finding renewed interest in my drawing skills, and have created my current work entirely from my imagination. Creating a large, realistic scene with the kind of detail that interests me, without relying on photo references, is a first for me. It requires confidence that I’ve gained through all my previous work. It’s very exciting, especially now at the stage of the colors going together, materializing into a believable sight! I think of the direction I’m heading as narrative realism, and I’m also intrigued with symbolism. I want my work to be believable, yet not absolute – suggesting, not stating. I’d like to invite the viewer into my constructed world and have them explore a story that is contained within.
Whether the piece gets into Quilt National 2015 or not, I’m anxious to show the next marker of my progress.
Susan Polansky
About Susan Polansky
My creative passion is stitched fabric collage. I create credible images from small bits of commercially printed fabrics held together with fusible web (a type of iron-on glue) and stitching. I dabble with painting and crafts for fun, read and garden, and love to travel. I’ve got three great kids and have been married to my best friend for 27 years. Currently I am working on a completely new website. Meanwhile, www.susanpolansky.com remains up and running, so please visit.
I had the great fortune to see Pastoral Disturbance in person, and the work is more than stirring – it is a piece that brings you straight to the site – engages your spirit, and stays with you long after the encounter. Susan’s work is at once tender, thoughtful, emotional and challenging. So glad to see it here.
Thanks Jessie! That’s what I’m going for. Fabric is a medium that works so well for expression – almost like I can wrap my thoughts in some softness.
I love the way you are creating the 3D tableau to visualize your work. Great idea Susan!
If you’d like to see more about how I’m going about my next piece, I had started a blog to track my progress. It has some other steps I used to help me make my idea come to life. I don’t always see what I have in mind at first- I have an idea, but not exactly how it looks, so I need to use different methods to clarify how to present my ideas visually. I haven’t updated it recently, as I realized I’d want to keep the piece under wraps in order to submit to the next QN, and now I’m on a mission to finish the piece in time to submit! http://www.susanvpolansky.blogspot.com
Susan, Thanks for walking with me & my sister’s thursday evening in Houston. We were somewhat apprehensive & your presence was appreciated. You shared your business card with me and am home now to identify your fabulous art work. Wow! You are one talented lady. Love your work! The accuracy of your images appeals to me. I really respect all the work & creativity that must go into your pieces. I wish you many peaceful hours in your future projects. Gayle McFarlain.