Suzanne O'Sullivan

Glass sculptor

Flowing forms in abstract glass

Suzanne works with glass fusing, casting and slumping techniques
She won the Cork Arts Society Student of the Year award in 2001
Her works, inspired by nature, focus on aesthetics rather than on functionality

Suzanne O'Sullivan is a glass artist who makes sculptures, abstract works, vases and jewellery. She practises her craft in a small scene town in a river valley in Fermoy, North Cork, where she lives. "Growing up on a dairy farm, I developed a 'creative practicality' from my father, who taught me how to use tools such as drills and hammers. As a child, I would constantly draw and paint, even on shed walls," Suzanne says. After studying business and marketing, she studied at Crawford College of Art and Design, where she explored painting, weaving and sculpture, before she discovered her true medium, glass, on her very first firing. Suzanne won the Cork Arts Society Student of the Year award in 2001.

Interview

What influences your work?: Most of my abstractions are inspired by the natural world around me – sunrises, sunsets, country walks or time by the sea. They reflect my experiences in the world. Everything we do is somehow shaped by the world we live in, so all that I create is inevitably influenced by it.
What materials do you work with?: My studio has two distinct areas, one for working with recycled glass and the other for using System 96. I enjoy both, even though recycled glass has its limitations. I cannot mix different types because compatibility is uncertain, but this challenge also creates exciting opportunities.
How do you interact with your process?: When creating a whole body of work, sometimes 80 or 90 pieces, I want each one to be unique, otherwise, it might as well have been produced in a factory. The process guides me, and the more involved I get, the more meditative it becomes. It turns into a flow, and I follow where it leads.
How do you approach commissioned work?: I start by gathering some background on what the clients want – the colours and the message they want to convey. I let it settle in my mind for a day or two, then I make a few drawings and review the colours. From there, I choose the shapes while still allowing the glass to guide me.

Suzanne O'Sullivan is an expert artisan: she began her career in 2001