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ABOUT THE ARTIST

Throughout my career as a professional artist, I’ve explored a wide range of creative expressions - ceramics, dance, graphic design, photography. and painting. These days, I’m thoroughly enchanted by watercolor.

Experimentation has always been at the heart of my artistic journey. Whether pushing the boundaries of concept or medium, I’m driven by a deep reverence for nature and light, the spiritual dimension of life, the wonders of the human body in motion, the healing power of plants, and the mysteries of the sea and our exquisite planet.

EDUCATION

I studied Pictorial Arts and Dance at UCLA and UC Berkeley, Expressive Arts at Sonoma State University, and Dance, Kinesiology, and Biomechanics at San Diego State University. Later, I pursued Photography and Graphic Design at Palomar College in
San Diego.

 

CERAMICS

My first business, Dancing Water Pottery, began in West Townsend, Vermont, around 1971. I built everything in my studio-from my kickwheel and gas-fired catenary arch kiln to the shed, tables, and shelves. I loved every aspect: the physical labor, the creative design, the science of clay and glazes, and the spiritual act of centering clay on the wheel. Then finally submitting this creation to the fire and surrendering control to the reduction process as gases flowing around the pots in the kiln reveal their surprising, unpredictable and exquisite effects.

 

DANCE AND MOVEMENT EDUCATION

Eventually, the business of ceramics became cumbersome, and I shifted to teaching Creative Dance Improvisation, which I had studied at university. I dove deeper into the science of movement and postural alignment, incorporating structural bodywork and movement education into my offerings. During this period, I lived in Vermont, Sonoma County (CA), and the Big Island of Hawaii. 

PHOTOGRAPHY and GRAPHIC DESIGN

Twenty years later, my creative path led me back to my roots in pictorial arts to Fine Art Photography and Graphic Design. I learned the craft in the pre-digital era, which gave me a strong foundation for the digital transition. My extensive darkroom experiments included alternative historical processes like Cyanotype and Van Dyke printing.
[Learn more about these processes here.

 

My photographic work has been exhibited in galleries and shows along the West Coast, featured in photography magazines, and recognized with numerous awards nationwide. I lived in Venice Beach and San Diego (CA), Marblemount, and Bellingham (WA) during these years.

 

WATERCOLOR

Another twenty years on, a convergence of personal and global events in 2008 slowed my business, giving me the chance to finally pursue watercolor-a medium I’d always wanted to explore. Returning to painting and drawing feels like coming full circle to where I began at UCLA in 1968. What a journey it’s been!

 

I now call Birch Bay, Washington home - living on the shores of yet another beautiful coastline, surrounded by
scenic splendor.

Thank you for joining me on this creative journey. I hope you enjoy viewing the fruits of these pursuits.

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ALL IMAGES AND DESIGN © 1990-2025 by Suzanne Steel, formerly HOT STEEL DESIGN. All Rights Reserved. CONTACT

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