Artwork copyright Susan Kristoferson. Photo courtesy of the artist.

Boughs in Blazing Fields, 1991

Susan Kristoferson
American (born 1952)

Location: Skyline Elementary School, Lake Stevens

About the Artwork

Boughs in Blazing Fields is part of artist Susan Kristoferson's 'Boughs' series of sewn paper collages. The artworks feature abstract forest scenes with overlapping branches. She composed them using handmade "paste-grain" papers, which look like woodgrain. This paper is made by applying thick paint using a stiff-bristle brush. It is a technique that dates back to the 15th century. The artist notes that she uses hue and contrast to create an "ambiguous understanding of the placement of these trees or Boughs." She sees this ambiguity as a reference to the way our personal, political, and ecological priorities shift and overlap.

This artwork was acquired for the State Art Collection in partnership with Lake Stevens School District.

About the Artist

Fiber artist Susan Kristoferson creates sewn paper collages and fabric sculptures. She taught at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, and served as Department Head in Fiber Arts at the Oregon School of Arts and Crafts in Portland, Oregon. She received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Texas in Austin, and a Master of Fine Arts degree in textiles from Indiana University in Bloomington.