About

A Note from Susan

Throughout my life, I have always had the need and desire to create. The inherent qualities of wood, its strength and its beauty provide incredible opportunities for me to explore many different avenues of self-expression and creativity. 

My designs incorporate traditional methods of construction and joinery. I typically keep surface decoration to a minimum, preferring to let the beauty of the wood and the form itself be the predominant feature in my designs.

Susan was born and raised in the mountains of Western North Carolina. Her childhood experiences of family hikes in the Pisgah National Forest during her formative years helped to foster an appreciation of beauty in nature and beyond. Born into a family of musicians and artists, it was watching her father build cabinets and built-ins for her childhood home that first sparked her interest in woodworking.

After receiving her bachelor’s degree at UNCA and working in the psychiatric field for a number of years, she eventually found her way back to the creative arts in the late 1990’s, and has never looked back. After a few cabinet making classes at AB Tech, she discovered Haywood Community College, where she discovered a whole new world of furniture design, and where she found her community. The relationships developed at HCC continue to feed and nourish her as she follows the path of making.