I interview Susana Arias, renowned sculptor and painter, who was distinguished in 2013 as "Artist of the Year", selected by the Santa Cruz County Arts Commission. Born originally in Panama, Susana now lives and works in Santa Cruz. Her work is in the collections of the Museum of the OAS in Washington D.C., Museo de Arte Contemporaneo in Panama, Rep. of Panama, as well as in museums in Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Cuba, Venezuela, and the Museum of Art and History in Santa Cruz, California. Her work is in private collections in the United States, Europe, Canada and Latin America. Speaking about her work Susana has said
"My work is done in series.
Each series is inspired by a glimpse of nature
a word in a book
or undercurrents in my thoughts.
It becomes my passion
and I must explore it
with form and materials.
I concern myself with the contrast
between primitive cultures
and contemporary aesthetics.
I explore man's attempt to control nature
and survive in an entropic world. "
Working with Santa Cruz local youth she has created:
“Light Time” (a working sundial), a traffic circle on King St;
“Sentinel”, a bas relief architectural ceramics sculpture at Aptos Jr. High; “Our City, Our Town”, the bas-relief tiles around the Police department; “Spring and Fall” two traffic islands on Swift St; “Small Creatures ” a traffic island on Trescone St; and numerous murals at school sites: Westlake, De Laveaga, and Vine Hill. To view her work go to www.susanaarias.com