SUSAN ABRAMS
abrams.sk@gmail.com
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I am a photographer and a papermaker. My work melds the spontaneous playfulness and fluidity of papermaking with the discipline inherent in the darkroom. Making my own paper accentuates the organic nature of the work. The complex interaction of paper and process results in textural, sensual prints, each of which are unique. A fascination with natural cycles, patterns and textures runs through my work and seeks to capture the beauty of a still point in life's chaos.

There are subjects that are better suited to printing on other media and I have work that is printed on standard papers (silver or digital) and on non-traditional materials such as silk. The project and the imagery determine my choice and I always attempt to have my printing method and media enhance the final work. I have worked with applied silver emulsion printing in the darkroom on handmade paper for many years. More recently I have taken advantage of digital printing possibilities to build a body of large-scale color work on my paper. Another body of work spans techniques from many centuries. Twenty-first century technology has facilitated creating digital negatives that I print on my handmade paper using a nineteenth century historic Platinum/Palladium process.
Opportunities to do site-specific installations have allowed me to explore working with various materials and in settings as varied as a glass-walled gallery and the boarded-up windows of an abandoned farmhouse. Installations present technical and artistic challenges to be solved which in turn promotes my growth as an artist.