Susan Hamlet is a living legend and I am so very fortunate to say that I studied with her in my masters program. She was always kind and generous during those trying years of grad school. She has consistently been a true advocate for her students.
Susan invited my husband and I to stay at her wonderful beach cottage in Connecticut for a weekend. So my husband and I packed our bathing suits, picked up a few steaks, and headed up the coast. What we found there was pure inspiration. Breakfast in the gazebo looking out onto Duck Island will be a cherished memory.
A collection of seashells and bones from her beach...
Susan on her beach. That is the third rendition of the family gazebo dating back to 1901.
Inside details
Here are some images of Susan's work. Nathan photographed her pieces for a retrospective at the prestigious Fuller Craft Museum. Susan hand fabricates all of her work and I am simply in awe of the technical ability required to create her pieces. The elements pictured in these examples are not carved from wax. Instead they are built, filed, forged, and sanded from the metal. The narrative quality and craftsmanship is unparalleled.
Her work is on permanent collection in the Museum of Art and Design, Fuller Craft Museum, Kyoto's National Museum of Modern Art, and MFA Boston.
Susan is a wonderful instructor, mentor, and friend. I'm am grateful to have her in my life.
Love,
Monica