Getting to Know the Locals: Susan Estelle Kwas

I’ve known Susan for a number of years and first met her when she was working as a professor at the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design teaching a pattern-making class. Beyond being an incredible teacher, she is an extremely talented illustrator who’s work is playful, energetic, and always full of life and action. Her ability to place characters within a scene is sensational, and she has an acute awareness of the way that textures and shapes can work together to make a whole, cohesive, image. It was an abosolute delight to have the opportunity to learn more about her process and work.

Q: Please give a short description of yourself and your work.

A: I’m an artist, illustrator, bookbinder, designer and professor. I love foul weather, travel, adventure, journaling, baking, movies on big screens, music, my friends, I prefer paper over screens, sugar, tapirs and really long baths.

Q: What inspires your illustrations?

A: This sounds a bit sappy, but primarily it’s just trying to keep my eyes fresh and open for beauty and inspiration as I walk though life. I love to get out walking/biking or traveling or for a stroll in a museum. Inspiration is around every corner.

I also use my sketchbooks as a constant source of inspiration. I find old ledgers and I stuff them full of everything from my life and artistic practice: sketches, daily journal entries, photographs, scraps of things, pretty stamps….whatever! You never know when something you saved years ago ends up being the perfect trigger for another project.

Q: Whose work do you follow?

A: If you mean follow as in social media, no one really. I try not to get too distracted by trend and stay focused on my authentic voice. I am, however a big fan of the Austrian illustrator Lisbeth Zwerger. I’ve collected all of her books that illustrate classic stories such as the Brothers Grimm or Hans Christian Andersen.

I also like to follow Joel Sartore’s The Photo Ark on Instagram. I am filled with wonder at looking at all the world’s diverse species and dread that we are destroying them. Do you know how first ladies get to pick a cause to spearhead? My cause would be species extinction.

Q: What are you working on now?

A: I’m just finishing up a painting of a woman bareback riding wearing a striped skirt and Inuit boots. It’s about 24 inches square in mixed media. I’m also completing an interesting book arts project. I found an old sketchbook in an antique store. The book was kept by a young man, Fred Foss, in my hometown of  Milwaukee in 1898. I became intrigued with the idea of an artistic collaboration through time, so I paired images from my own sketchbook and painted them along side his in pencil. I rebound the book in leather, and I’m finishing up the cover decoration now.

Lastly, I’m collaborating with my friend, artist and letterpress printer Jessica Spring of Springtide Press. We just started working on a series of greeting cards that combine my illustrations with historic letterpress cuts, borders and type.

Q: What work are you most proud of?

A: I was lucky enough to have a long running column that I illustrated in the Teaching Tolerance magazine put out by The Southern Poverty Law Center. The articles were sent in by teachers to share ideas for integrating ideas of tolerance into various curriculum. I couldn’t ask for a more wonderful client and more meaningful work. Eventually the magazine took a new direction but, I’ll be always very grateful to them and proud of the work I did there.

Q: Do you have a favorite knick-knack in your studio?

A: I do! I have a large white paper mache rabbit. I bought him at an estate sale in my neighborhood. He looks as if he was made for a shop window at Easter time. He’s not slick but charming in his hand made splendor.

Q: Where can your work be found?

A: You can see the full spectrum of my work on my website- susanestellekwas.com

Or follow me on Insta @susanestellekwas.

I blog infrequently but more in depth on Tumblr.

Q: Anything else you’d like to share?

A: Well….I’m always happy to put in a plug to try to find ways to support artists. Either selling the idea of original illustration commissions or just frequenting your local crafts fare for gifts. All of that is important to sustaining our creative lives.

Thankyouthankyou!

Thank you to Susan for participating in “Getting to Know the Locals”! I’m looking forward to what she’ll be doing in the future. See you in the next interview!

Stephanie Marie Steinhauer