Susan Lapham: Studio Tour and More

 

Susan Lapham, I Heart My Brothers
2021, 40"x40"

Susan Lapham lives in Virginia, summers in Cape Breton, and has chosen Atlantic Canada as her secondary SAQA region.    

Her contemporary quilts have been described as a lively dance between steady geometry and sparkling movement. Her work has been exhibited in Form, Not Function; Quilts=Art=Quilts; Visions Art Museum; and Quilt National.  Her award winning Playland series has received Best of Show, First Place, and Piecing Awards.  

Playland 1, 2020, 83"x82"

Born in Jerusalem, Susan lived in the Middle East and North Africa for the first 12 years of her life. Her degrees in Cartography and Survey Statistics led her to work in the US government and non-profit organizations as a mapmaker, statistician, manager and senior executive for nearly 40 years. She is currently Principal Investigator on US National Institutes for Health grants focusing on behavioral health and is Director of a sixty-year longitudinal study of human development and aging.

Along the way, she taught herself to quilt and obviously brings the same level of energy and discipline to her art.  When I asked Susan about artists who have inspired her work, her list included the Spanish sculptor Eduardo Chillida, the Lebanese painter Saloua Raouda Choucair,  and the Americans Karl Benjamin and Frank Stella.   All of them are characterized by clean lines and bold use of colour.

Susan, could you describe your workspace?

My studio is a 24 by 40 foot addition at the back of our house overlooking our woods and garden.  It is open and airy with lots of room to breathe. My design wall takes up one whole wall plus half of another – a total of about 38 feet by 8 feet tall. The room is empty except for the design wall, my sewing machine, and two large cutting tables forming an “L” in the middle of the room. I love spending time in the studio and find that I can be as creative as my imagination allows because there are no distractions.

It seems very well-lit. What are the light sources?

I have five large floor to ceiling windows and six skylights that let in a lot of natural light.  There are 12 8-foot LED lights mounted on the ceiling which provide additional light on grey days.  I also have Ott Creative Curve lamps beside my sewing machine and on the cutting table.  

Where do you keep your fabrics and threads?

 I don’t keep a lot of fabric – just enough to keep creating.  Yardage is kept in a dark closet on open shelves organized by value and color. Scraps are kept in 3 baskets, also organized by color and value. I keep a small bin of leftover bits and units from previous pieces, and turn to it to start each subsequent project. If I need a small piece of fabric I’ll use my unsewn scraps next and only go to my yardage if I need a big chunk.

I bag the tiniest scraps for a friend to make dog beds or for garden mulch - nothing wasted!

I only keep a few spools of thread (Superior) which are organized on a rack on the wall. My philosophy is if I don’t use something for a year, it is donated, gifted or recycled. 

Aside from the emptiness, which is rather unusual for a quilter, are there other unique features?

One unusual aspect is that my husband does all my quilting on his long arm machine. He has his own space at the other end of the house so when I have a top ready for him to quilt, I just walk downstairs and hand it over to him. I am more than blessed with this arrangement!

Another great aspect of my studio is that I can easily take it on the road – literally! 

Every summer for the past couple of decades, my husband and I hop into the RV and head to Cape Breton where we spend several weeks at Broad Cove campground. I use the same portable sew easy table that I use in my home studio and bring the five small baskets of fabric scraps that I use daily. Since I’m a minimalist it’s easy to schlep my tools back and forth. As I can’t bring the huge design wall, I work on smaller pieces or I hang a sheet on the clothesline and just deal with the constant breeze.

I can also dye fabric there which I don’t often do at home. I actually learned to dye from Anne Schroeder, another Cape Breton artist, several years ago.

Susan's portable studio...

Does it make a difference if you are in open or cluttered space?

...and her outdoor studio

Being a minimalist at heart I’m most creative when I have no distractions. Complete silence (except for the birds, the whisper of trees, and ocean waves) and no visual distractions. So definitely no clutter, just a lot of space.  I only have out what I need when I need it and tend to tidy up before moving on to a new task.  

You mentioned that it's easy to bring your studio, but what about favourite gadgets?

I’m not really a gadget person. I have a simple straight stitch sewing machine and the tools I use can easily fit into one glass jelly jar that includes a seam ripper, Karen K Buckley perfect scissors, a pair of large scissors, paper scissors, tweezers, hera tool and "that purple thang" (a sort of stiletto). I have a second glass jelly jar that includes the tools I need for the sewing machine – brush, screwdriver, oil, machine needles, pipe cleaner, walking foot and quarter inch foot.

Except for rotary cutters that are on the portable cutting tables, and a couple of rulers that I mostly use for trimming up finished quilts, I don’t keep much else. My goal is to keep the studio and my studio practice as minimal as possible.  

Going back to your main studio, what does having this workspace mean for your processes, and how do you make the space work for you?

I love my studio and spend every possible moment I can in it! Having lots of space to move around, large cutting tables and a huge design wall give me the freedom I need to translate what’s in my head to fabric. Being a minimalist and staying organized allows me to be efficient which helps with deadlines!

If you had the chance, what change would make it your ultimate creative space?

Taller design walls. I tend to work very large – 8 feet by 8 feet.  I would love to work bigger at some point but my design walls are currently 8 feet tall so it would be hard to create something larger.

Is there a project that you’re currently working on, or are excited about starting that you can tell us about? 

While I love working with tiny bits of fabric to build enormous pieces, I also love spare work. I’m experimenting with some spare pieces and am excited to see where I can go with them.  

Clothesline design wall 

More of Susan's work can be seen on her website at susanjlapham.net

Her husband, John Tsiaperas, who does the longarm quilting of her quilts, can be found here.

Her quilt, "I Heart My Brothers" at the beginning of this post, can be seen soon at the Material III exhibition at the D'Art Centre in Norfolk Virgina.

Another quilt in her Oh Brother series, "David", can be seen as part of the SAQA Commotion exhibit in Atlantic Canada (stay tuned for dates of two venues in Nova Scotia this summer).

Playland #3, above, won the 2nd Place Award of Excellence at Form Not Function 2020 and Best of Show at Out of the Funk (Fiberarts Guild of Pittsburgh). 

Welcome to my Studio: Laurie Swim, Lunenburg, Nova Scotia

My husband Larry and I bought a new house a few years ago and since then I’ve been working on a “new build” studio above the pre-existing garage and carport. The beauty of a new build is that so much is possible! I spent weeks working with graph paper, laying out work stations and considering the flow between them. I must have relocated the stairs five times before I came up with the present configuration! I learned to “tradespeak’ with those who made my dream a reality. They showed great diplomacy and patience, reeling in the crazy artist, pointing out impracticalities and adding their own creative ideas. 

After months of design work and a few delays, the studio is finally built and I’m loving it! Would you like a look around?

The new studio has cozy in-floor heating and a convenient ‘water closet’. The open ceiling and windows all around give the space a bright, lofty feel. Track, pendant and pot lights are generously distributed for evening work. A 10’x 10’ deck will provide additional workspace, great for drying my dyed and painted fabrics.

My excellent carpenter, Jeff, contributed a steel counter for my sink, something he had removed from a restaurant and just couldn’t let it “go to the dump”. I found a stainless steel sink at the recycling depot and a brand new faucet at the consignment shop. Luxury on a dime!

My sewing machines are on a custom-built shelf desk just beneath the corner windows, with a nice view of Lunenburg Harbour. Above my Sweet Sixteen sit-down long-arm machine is a home-built device with a clamp that I use to reduce the drag on my larger pieces, making them easier to quilt. The device is clamped to the table and swivels as I move the piece around. I found the instructions to make this Quilt Suspension Thingy on Caryl Bryer Fallert’s website a few years back. 
 

Just next to my sewing corner is my wheeled layout table. The table legs are off-cuts of the Bluenose II masts, nearly fifty years old. I feel so fortunate to have such an important piece of our heritage in my studio! 

The crowning jewel of the studio is a design wall that I can raise or lower as needed to spare my aching back. This was a feature I insisted upon but it took a few heads (sometimes banging) to figure out. Eventually my husband Larry found an electric, tubular, push and pull device called a linear actuator and carpenter Jeff was able to adapt it for my purpose.  

  

The 5’x 7’ design wall, essentially my easel, is made of fibreboard over plywood. This panel is set on rails, sliding up or down at the push of a switch, allowing me to work comfortably along either the top or bottom edge of a large piece.

I’ve just recently moved in to the studio and I’m still in the process of organizing and putting things away so that I can find them again. Having an easily accessible place for everything is a good incentive to keep my workspace in order. I store assorted bits and pieces in used plastic ice cream containers set into a shelving unit. 

My fabrics are folded around foam core boards and stored in baskets and colour-coded drawers. Large rolls of paper, used for tracing patterns and enlarging drawings, are stored horizontally on drapery rods just above the drawers.



All and all this is a lovely workspace. My original aim was to create an industrial feel, but all the bits and pieces from my life give it a more funky, folky look. My studio walls are graced with memorabilia and gifts from various artist friends, including a birthday gift from Linda Finley, a small piece from Pamela Allen, and a thank-you katazome stencil piece from Karen Miller. My own signature piece, Eve’s Apple, has found a home above the stairway. Eve and I reminisce together wistfully every day. Good memories mean so much!

What projects am I working on now? You might have noticed, in the photo of my design wall, a drawing for my next landscape piece. This is a scene from a friend's place on Heckman's Island just outside of Lunenburg. The fog sets the mood and the craggy trees reinforce it. The big challenge will be to capture the translucence of fog and the play of light on the water. It has all the elements I like, lots of texture, depth of field and a sense of mystery.

I’m also collaborating on a larger project with a colleague living on the northeast coast of Norway. Our project, The Gulf Stream, aims to bring attention to the significance of this warm, swift, current that connects our homes and the importance of ocean stewardship. Stay tuned, I’m not done yet!

Thanks for dropping by my new studio.
Laurie

Read more about Laurie Swim and her work on her website www.laurieswim.com.

Welcome to my Studio: Jeanine Gunn, Antigonish County, Nova Scotia

My studio vibrates with colour! 

I acquired a passion for tropical colours while growing up in Brazil. I discovered shibori when living in India and took up hand dyeing while living in South Africa. Also a result of my travels, my studio is a showcase for a collection of tribal textiles. 

I’ve had this studio for about ten years. It’s the second floor of our new-built barn and has an ocean view. The four skylights and four windows fill the space with light. I absolutely LOVE it.

My fabrics and books are organized on shelves custom built by my husband, Bill. The fabrics are sorted by colour but also by type. For example, there’s a Kaffe Fasset and modern quilt fabrics shelf as well as a shelf for batiks and hand dyes and another for conversation fabrics etc.

My "cutting table” is a modified saw table that once belonged to my father-in-law. For lighting, I have four large light fixtures hanging over strategic areas (work table, cutting table, reading and socializing area etc). I also have Ott Lites for worktables and as floor lamps.

It’s a creative, messy space!! I have several work surfaces and two sewing machines so slowly projects and studio items just take over. But I don’t mind clutter and I always know where things are. 

My current favourite gadget is the Martelli Rotary Cutter, designed by a hand surgeon for his quilter wife. It is THE most ergonomic cutter I’ve ever used and great for cutting several layers of fabric. It did take a bit of getting used to though….

In my studio space I can teach or be on my own, listen to music as loudly as I want to and leave a creative mess behind. I can just sit there and admire interesting collectibles from around the world. I can meditate there and just be. When I’m having a thinking spell or trying to resolve a creative problem, just looking at my fabric stash feels very therapeutic!

Lately I've been working on a small series of pieces with the hope of having a piece or two for the SAQA benefit auction. Have a look at what's on my wall right now:

Playing with Circles by Jeanine Gunn, 2019

Thanks for dropping by my studio…
Jeanine 

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Follow Jeanine Gunn on Instagram at deveau9983 

Welcome to my Studio: Hélène Blanchet, Margaree Valley Nova Scotia

I have a brand new studio! 

I’ve been making embroidered fabric pictures since grade 7. I’ve since developed my own unique style of folk art, exhibited internationally and won several awards. Most recently, my traveling solo show “Calgary Days” has been getting recognition.

Yet until now I’ve always worked at the kitchen table. What a delight to have a studio of my own!  

We recently built a home overlooking the Highlands of Cape Breton. It’s deep in the woods and off-grid, so it‘s peaceful and absolutely quiet. My studio takes up most of the second floor. Because of the huge amount of snow here, the roof has a steep pitch and the studio’s “walls” are the slanted ceiling. Although the floor space is 22’ x 28’, the actual standing space is about 12’ x 28’ and the ceiling is 11’ high at its peak. A wide gable on the south side gives me a bit more room. 

The west wall

My studio is a beautiful space with elegant angles and lines everywhere. Two enormous mahogany windows, cobbled from various smaller windows, let in plenty of light. The views are spectacular from every angle. There is no shortage of inspiration.  

Being off-grid doesn't impact my work. Solar panels provide most of our electricity and  a backup generator recharges the batteries when needed. 

The view to the south

I’m a very early morning person – often up at 4am, my mind all abuzz and raring to go.

In those very early mornings the studio is lit up by three big antique ceiling lamps. I also have   spotlights over each work station. For fine detail work, I go to my fabulous tri-spectrum Stella lamp. It’s an LED light that uses very little power to provide sharp clear lighting any time of day. The three spectrums allow me to switch to whatever suits me best – usually daytime lighting. Its elegant curved body lets me position it exactly as I want and it stays there, always. 

I work better in a tidy space so in my studio, everything has its place.

Two small, built-in bookcases hold my library. Other shelving is made from bits of old furniture that I’ve salvaged and painted up. The shorter shelving units are on wheels so I can move them around as I need to and use the back sides as design walls. 

I have baskets for embroidery floss and quilting threads, other specialty threads, my scissor collection etc. I don’t need a lot of fabric, but I have a lot of small bits, stored in small foldable drawers and plastic bins stacked on bookshelves.

I use a lot of beads, gemstones and miniature toys in my work. When it’s time to do beadwork, I just roll my bead cabinet to where I’m working. When I’m not beading I use the cabinet back as a design wall. 

Design wall on back of bead cabinet

             

bead cabinet

My favourite tools are my Japanese thimble and my Janome Artistic E-Z thread snips.

I am totally lost without my Japanese thimble. This is a simple metal ring that sits between the knuckles on the top part of my finger. It allows me to feel exactly where I want to place my needle and push it through easily - without getting in my way. 

And I love my new Artistic E-Z thread snips by Janome. They’re ultra sharp, always open with a curved tip to prevent accidental jabs. Just grab and snip. Perfect.

My studio means the world to me! Having a place of my own has given me impetus and my creativity is blasting off in all directions.  Perhaps the biggest advantage is being able to work whenever I want, for however long I want, without interruption or fear of disturbing anyone. 

I’ve been trying my hand at abstraction for a couple of years, and having this quiet space is allowing me to pursue that. I’ve recently started a collaboration with two other textile artists, and my contribution will be in abstracted forms. I’m not sure where all this will lead me, but I am enjoying the ride. Here’s a sneak preview.

                              The Pond Nos 1-4, Work in progress

Thanks for dropping by...                                                              
Hélène

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Read more about Hélène on our own 2016 feature interview Folk art in big nature.

Read a review of Hélène Blanchet's current show at the Cape Breton Centre for Craft and Design, on view until the end of March 2019.

Welcome to My Studio - Susan Lilley, Hebbville, Nova Scotia

A few months ago, I decided to (finally!) take the time to research and think through how best to improve my sewing space. The room is 12'x13', a nice room with a high ceiling and a large walk-in closet to keep my fabrics and materials out of harm's way. It has a northern exposure with a forest view.

Shortly after we moved in, a year or so earlier, I added a second window and good overhead lighting. I unpacked my gear and started creating. I loved the space, but the set-up wasn't working as well as I knew it could. So, early this spring, I began to plan my makeover. I used Lois Hallock's book Creating Your Perfect Quilting Space to help me with the layout and to calculate dimensions for the various work stations. 

Cabinetmaker Bob Mertens, of Pinehurst, NS built me a beautiful made-to-measure sewing table.

The table has a drop leaf on the back. Butted up against my old adjustable-height Ikea table, it provides good support for large quilts.

I had a big, heavy, office credenza I used for a cutting table. It has a nice large surface and great storage space, but was too low for comfort. Bob built a frame to set it on, bringing it to just the right height. My rulers hang from sheet metal screws on one end, reducing the clutter on the surface. So retro and oh so functional! 

I made an ironing station from an old kitchen cabinet topped with a canvas-covered board, following instructions in Sharon Schamber's Perfect Pressing Board. Unlike an ironing board, the canvas top grips the fabric nicely and the shelving provides storage for various notions and supplies. Nice! But what I most love is the handy on/off switch, inspired by Laurie Swim. The iron plugs into a power bar I've mounted at waist height beneath the window. The flick of a switch powers the iron on and off, and the red light on the power bar lets me know from a distance whether the iron has been left on. Laurie has a lamp plugged into the power bar as an additional indicator. When the lamp is on, she knows she's left the iron on.

So that's the story of my makeover. I love the results! The space works well and for now, at least, I have more than enough storage space. Next project: organize the space in the walk-in closet. Stay tuned!

Susan Lilley