Collection: Susan Smith

I am fortunate to have come from a family where the arts were appreciated and participation was encouraged. My grandmother and mother were dancers and many other family members were visual artists. My own journey into art started at a young age and was furthered along by a few years at Interlochen Arts Academy. A job at a screen printing shop led to years working in the graphic arts, followed by a zig-zagged path through several states that eventually led to a job as the art director at American Spoon in Petoskey. My relationship with American Spoon continued for many years, and the mail order catalogs I created in collaboration with owner Justin Rashid and illustrator Kristin Hurlin allowed me to express my love for northern Michigan in a very unique printed medium that reached many people. 

I returned to college later in life to complete my degree, a BA in Art and a K-12 teaching certification from Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo. I had the good fortune to work as an art teacher for many years in several unconventional school settings in southwest Michigan. During this same time period I began working with fused glass and mosaic, and I incorporated both mediums into the art classes that I taught.

In 2017 I moved back to northern Michigan. I now reside in Williamsburg, in a home on a small private lake surrounded by red pines. I continue to teach students of all ages, focusing on fused glass and mosaic. I am driven by curiosity and color, and I enjoy creating pieces that make people happy. It brings me great joy to share my love of these two art forms through teaching and through my creations.