Artist Statement
Process and materials are central to my practice. I travel back and forth from New York City to upstate New York a lot and gather minerals and earth pigments from each area. In the studio I combine these materials to make my own paints, inks and printmaking plates. By collecting natural pigments from diverse landscapes, each batch carries the unique color, texture, and history of its origin. In New York City, my palette and forms reflect—grays, blacks, and abstracted human figures. In upstate New York, the colors and shapes become more organic, echoing the landscape.
My process begins with printmaking on paper, which I transform into sculptural books and wall reliefs. Each layer is strategically concealed or revealed, creating dynamic interactions of line, color, and texture. By integrating repurposed magnifying lenses, I invite viewers to closely inspect the work, discovering hidden details.
The line between process and concept is often blurred while I am working. The act of gathering and manipulating materials becomes a metaphor for how humans interact with their environments. Each piece becomes an artifact of transformation—of earth into pigment, pigment into image, and image into narrative.
The context of my work continues to expand as I encounter information virtually. The internet forms a shifting landscape where truth and fiction blur, raising questions about what is real and what is imagined. Memories from my past, concerns for the future, and daily experiences—both conscious and unconscious—merge into layered narratives that also shape my art.
Biography
Susan Rostow (b. 1953, Brooklyn, NY) studio in Brooklyn, NY and splits her time between NYC and rural upstate New York.
Susan is a recipient of several awards, including a Pollock-Krasner Foundation Fellowship and a New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowship in Printmaking / Book Arts 2017, and research residencies at the New York Academy of Medicine rare books library, and the New York Historical Society, collaborative projects with Central Booking, NY.
Since 2022, she has had two solo exhibitions at Atlantic Gallery, NYC, NY. Rostow has also participated in numerous group exhibitions throughout the United States, Europe, Peru, Korea, and Japan.
Her prints and sculptural books are in the permanent collections of the Library of Congress National Print Archives, Washington DC, the Allan Chasanoff Bookwork Collection at Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven, CT, the Portland Art Museum, Portland, OR, and the Washington State Art Collection, Olympia, WA.
In addition to being a full-time artist, Susan is an innovative inventor of printmaking methods, materials and tools. She is the creator of Akua, two lines of printmaking inks and supplies. In 2012, Speedball Art Products acquired the Akua brand, and she joined the Speedball team working as a freelance consultant.
