Medium: Fibre Arts
Location: Hornby Island, BC
Member Since: 1976
Susan Cain has worked as an artist in textile-based media for over 25 years. She earned a BA in English Literature from New York University, after which she moved to San Francisco to study Textile Design. There, she also worked with a puppetry troupe, planting the seeds for the work that she has continued to pursue ever since.
Susan has a created a unique line of beautifully designed cloth hand puppets, representing a wide range of characters. They are loved and collected by adults and children alike, and are favoured by teachers, librarians and therapists. Each is individually hand-crafted and their bright colours, tactile qualities and comfortable fit create a uniquely expressive tool.
Parallel to her puppets, Susan also creates sculptures using wood, wire, plaster, fabric and paint. She usually works in series, most often incorporating animal imagery. Through a labour-intensive and intensely creative process, Susan works intuitively to improvise her sculptural creations, resulting in pieces that feel loose and energetic.
Susan has exhibited widely throughout Canada and the U.S., and her work is included in collections in Montreal and Seattle.
ARTIST STATEMENT
“I am interested in puppets for their sculptural and interactive qualities. They promote communication! Kids of all ages love them, and I sell many of them to teachers, librarians, and psychologists. They go out into the world and do their work. I am pleased that they are useful.”
