Susan Stinsmuehlen-Amend
Stained glass maker
Ojai, CA, USA
Recommended by Craft in America
When dreams drive designs
- Susan's work is featured in major museums and collections in the USA
- Her contribution to craft has been awarded by the American Craft Council
- She challenges concepts of harmony through her use of colour
Susan Stinsmuehlen-Amend's career as an artist has evolved continually over several decades. As such, her work is difficult to place under just one category. Susan was introduced to glass after attending art school. "I fell under the spell of the material, and was not afraid of following my intuition and questioning the status quo," she explains. Over the years, she has worked with glass through the lens of contemporary art, experimenting with innovative approaches to the medium. Today, Susan works on public and private commissions, as well as designs for exhibitions and personal expression, striking a balance between meeting the needs of clients and speaking her own voice. “Glass in all its permutations is endlessly provocative. Combined with light and movement, it encourages exploration,” she adds.
Discover her work
INTERVIEW
I am an artist for whom ideas have always been more important than media, but I love the tradition of craft, especially of stained glass. Curiosity has led to experimentation with many processes, making my work difficult to categorise sometimes.
I have distilled my own life experiences and perceptions of the world in the creation of progressive and experimental work. Rooted in stained glass' narrative tradition, my stories emerge through an everyday stream of consciousness, in the surreal logic of dreams. Meaning is essential to what I do.
Colour can carry many different meanings and I am known for my unusual colour choices. The contrast of warm and cool colours is a palette I often use, like delving into and combining differing philosophies. Challenging harmony through colour has become part of my practice.
I have completed several commissions for churches or temples. To design the windows, I have to research the liturgy of the institution. I have deeply enjoyed diving into various religions to reach a spiritual understanding from which to design.
