Check Out Susan Wechsler’s Story

Today, we’d like to introduce you to Susan Wechsler.

Hi Susan, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I am often asked how I got started in mosaics; while going through my beloved grandmother’s family china, I discovered some broken pieces that I could not bear to throw away. So, I made my first mosaic from my own personal history.

I have a fine arts background, with a BFA from the University of Michigan and an MFA from the Tisch School of Arts at NYU. I approach my mixed media mosaic work as fine arts. My process: As a passionate collector of discarded treasures, my process begins with an unusual palette filled with meaningful pieces that I have spent a lifetime collecting.

Next, a three-dimensional substrate that I hand build starts my creative juices. When I combine colors, patterns, and textures or my “palette” to tell compelling visual stories, the magic begins.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I think of my art life as a tree. At the base is the work, and the work has to keep growing and evolving in order for my voice to ring true to my collectors and my students. From there, I am always creating. I spend every day in the studio. My studio is my sacred space, my joy, and my love.

In order to make my art into a business that can thrive, I began teaching all of my mosaic secrets. I get to be creative every day of my life, and I am blessed. So, I very much enjoy empowering others and my students with their own creative voices, too. I have shows and collectors and travel the world, teaching my mosaic techniques. Life is good!

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe you can tell us more about your work next?
My mother has always been my mentor- it was her idea for me to mosaic dresses, given my costume design background. That was a big hit, and before I knew it, I was traveling the world teaching how I mosaic my signature Dress Forms. It didn’t take long before people were copying my dresses. It is unfortunate that your creative property can’t be better protected by those who steal your life’s work.

I conquer this issue by always changing my vision and my work and growing forward in doing so. No one can really keep up with my creative growth, although they do try… Next were my beaded animal totems, followed by my native American Portraits. Today, I am working on a new series of abstract landscapes.

Always changing & growing.

Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out.
I am lucky. I have always known that I was an artist! Of course, I tried lots of different mediums. I was a costume designer on Broadway and in Hollywood.

I worked as a fashion designer at Espirit. But I always wanted to just make art! And so, finally, that is what I do full-time. If you follow your passion and you work hard at it, you will create a life of joy and purpose. Chase the dream and not the money.

Contact Info:

• Website:www.mosaicsbysusan.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mosaicsbysusan/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mosaicsbysusan
• Youtube: Susan Wechsler @mosaicsbysusan