Susan Hanft
Trained first as a dancer and then as a visual artist, Hanft studied ceramics with Huey Beckham at the University of Houston. Although she received a degree in ceramic sculpture, Hanft spent several years involved with performance art, multimedia installation and mixed-media collage, showing at Houston’s Center for Art and Performance, Blaffer Gallery, Lawndale Art Center and Museum of Fine Art. In 2003, she returned to clay with the gift of a kiln.
Her work is made using slabs and crude extrusions. The imperfections inherent to hand building give even the simplest forms a quirky individuality, and sometimes a distinct personality. She decorates the pieces using a variety of techniques: scrafitto, stamping and underglazing at the unfired stage; stamping, drawing and painting with underglazes and stains following bisque; and the addition of handmade or commercial overglaze decals and metal lusters in a third firing.
“I’m attracted to awkward lines and imperfection, the honest marks of construction, and design that offers whimsy or humor. And, I like the fact that clay gives you the chance to change your mind at almost every stage of making.”
Influences include: mid-century modern design, kitsch and advertising; prehistoric and tribal art; comic books and cartoons; Victoriana
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