Intimacy with materials in process, usage and place is the foundation of my work. I grow, nurture, forage and process my materials; my art and homesteading lifestyle inseparable. The seasons, the ebbs and flows of nature are present in the materials. The practice is a ritual of connection and integration with my environment where the cycle of life and death are ever present. Using both traditional and unexpected natural fibres, I create finely crafted pieces that discuss the infinite offerings of textile materials from the boreal forest and peat bogs of the Avalon Peninsula, Newfoundland. This work is reflective of my settler ancestors' tradition of 'making do', skilled makers who resourcefully created beautiful work with what was close by.
Susan Furneaux is an artist, educator and craft consultant in Newfoundland and Labrador. Over the past 25 years, she has created with, taught about and promoted the fine craft use of natural dye and materials throughout Canada. Her seasonal processes are reflective of a traditional Newfoundland way of life: nurturing and harvesting through the summer and fall; stitching and making in the winter. Susan is currently an instructor in the College of the North Atlantic's Textile & Apparel Design program. Her homestead and workshop, Black Hen Studio, is located in beautiful Conception Harbour, on the Avalon Peninsula of Newfoundland and Labrador.