Creative Corner: Family heirlooms inspire art

After her grandmother passed away, Susan Wechsler sat in her grandmother's dining room with her cousin. When they came across china plates, several were broken. Wechsler's cousin didn't want them, but Wechsler knew there was something special about those broken pieces. That's when she began her journey into mosaics. She is a self-taught mixed-media mosaic artist with a thriving studio, Mosaics by Susan. 

Family is vital to Wechsler and her journey. Colorado was always present in her life. Beginning in the 1960s, her parents brought her family here to ski in the mountains and later retired here. Nearly 20 years ago, Wechsler joined them to raise her two sons, Drew, who will be 30 in September, and Zach, who turns 25 in December.

Establishing a home in Prospect, she had her first studio below her carriage house.

Wechsler has dabbled in many types of art throughout her journey. Growing up on a farm in Cincinnati, Ohio she learned she enjoyed working with her hands. Her first exploration into art came from a farmer named Al who started in creating multi-dimensional works from wood. 

"Al had a woodshop. I loved building things out of wood shades. Al would help me build a bunch of sculptural things. He showed me how to stack them to make them dimensional," Wechsler said.

While in college at the University of Michigan, where she received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in sculpture, Wechsler found herself designing theatre sets. Her mother — who passed away three years ago — inspired her to wander over to the theatre department to see if Wechsler’s joy for clothing design would be helpful. 

Her experience with woodworking added to her skills as she worked in designing theater sets. 

Working in set and costume design was a good fit. When she completed her undergraduate, she was ready to leave the midwest and headed for New York. Wechsler completed her Master of Fine Arts (M.F.A.) in costume design. Combining all her skills and passions her first series, Angel Dresses, used dress forms. "I started building my own dresses and covered them with mosaics. Before I could finish 50, I was asked all over the world," Wechsler said. 

Her Angel Dresses also held those broken china plates from her grandmother's collection. 

She continues honoring her family members through her pieces. Every piece Wechsler creates has something of her mom's included. 

Wechsler said she's always been a collector of fascinating things. She calls them discarded treasures and uses mosaics to transform them.

"How can you part with them? I like the energy. I like that my mom's a little bit in everything. She's always here helping me figure it out," Wechsler said.

Just as her mom gave so much to her, Wechsler dedicates her time to giving back. Several years ago, she helped the community at Rocky Mountain Elementary in Longmont heal when they lost a beloved teacher and father of six. The community came together to create a mosaic which had "a border of “Words of Wisdom”, the mountainscape as seen from the window of his classroom and all the stars in the sky representing his students."

Additionally, Wechsler teaches a wide array of people from all walks of life, some of whom have limited vision or brain injuries and some who have very little experience and confidence in art. Art, to Wechsler, is for anybody. She wants to make sure that people's interest in art is nurtured right from childhood.

"Any child who has a true calling as I did, don't discourage them because you think they won't make money at it. I have a passion for what I do. It's been a life well-lived," Wechsler said. "I never say I don't want to ... Every day is a great adventure that I love. I never get tired of it."