SUSAN BROOKS
ARTIST, AUTHOR, TEACHER, LECTURER 

I have volunteered in a women’s prison for seven years and discovered a treasure of beautiful women who have the same hopes, dreams and desires as every woman. Dreams of beauty, successful marriages and joyful children, free from fear. I have been drawn to the strength I see in these women to survive and thrive under difficult life circumstances. The body of my work deals with the issues every woman wrestles with, the longing to be seen, heard and loved for who we are as women. I created a series of quilts, Women in Prison: From Shame to Freedom to chronicle the journey of a woman I call Daisy in her flight to freedom. I have also done work based on my daughter, Chara DeWolf’s, book of poetry, Rush Of Water. Again, the story involves a woman’s quest to be loved, only to discover that she must look within to see her beauty and not another to fulfill her dreams.
My work on a trafficking series is a call for action to stop the violence against women.  The women who have survived the war in Syria and learned to rebuild their families in a refuge camp.  And my own story of healing and forgiveness in My Mother's Memories series.
I use dark colors with little contrast to express a sense of dread, but include imagery to give hope of new found life. The message I wish my art to express is one of reaching for our highest dreams. To overcome and become the best that we were created as women to be. Fabric provides the opportunity to build layers giving a sense of protection, safety and security. I create my own papers and fabrics through dyeing, resists, eco dyeing and painting and then am able to add dimension and detail through the use of stitches. It is a joy to my heart to take a piece of white plain fiber, use dyes, paints and stitches to create a visual piece and tell a story. Differing techniques are used to express differing emotions. I use deconstructed silk printing for a very organic look and soy wax resists to create a sense of dimension. The use of painting thicken dyes on plastic has been used for my women monoprints. The morphing of the dyes give a feel of surrealism. I use eco dyeing, plant based dyes and prints, introducing the beauty of nature into my work. And the love of the connecting threads to hold the pieces together.
The tactile and visual beauty of textiles has been a motivation to creativity. As a child, I was fascinated by the possibility of transforming a flat piece of cloth into a uniquely crafted article of clothing. After a journey of making dolls, garments and quilts, I am now driven to experiment with new techniques in dyeing, painting and embellishing fabric. I enjoy sharing my passion with others by teaching these techniques and broadening my own exploration in fiber art. My aspiration is to tell a story, engage the viewer in a dialogue and challenge them to a deeper emotional experience.