About

Artistic Statement

In my working methods and style I attempt to carry on the folk traditions of the past, making pots that are beautiful, functional and lyrical.  I try to marry these concepts to a contemporary flavor of form, surface and gesture.  Surface freshness and texture are very important to me as I strive for fluidity and movement in the work.

I am greatly influenced by the forests, streams and mountains of the rural setting in which I reside.  The textures of bark, the movement of water jumping over rocks, the insects flitting about, and the majestic outlines of the mountains – all make their imprint on me.  These bits of nature inhabit my work in subtle ways such as the found pieces of wood that I use to texture the pots, the forms of leaves berries and birds that become my favorite decorations and the movement of ash glazes over the walls of a pot, like tiny flowing streams.  And now that all my work is fired in my noborigama kiln I feel that I am a partner with the actions of the kiln, accepting gratefully the ash, heat and flames that the kiln gifts to my pots.

I am increasingly concerned about the preservation of the flora and fauna of our planet and these themes are finding their way into my work as I add small animals, birds, fish, insects and plant life to my pieces. And always, my pots speak of home, family and close friends sitting down to a delicious meal served in hand-made vessels that reflect the warmth and generosity of the occasion.

Resume

  • Beecher Pottery, East Jewett, NY 1989 to Present
    • Owner and artisan of Beecher Pottery, located in a rural setting with gas and wood kilns.  Selling one of a kind and customized lines of pottery to individuals, galleries and shops.

Awards

  • Purchase award, L&L Kilns permanent collection 2007
  • Prize, “Arts Feastival” Long Boat Key Center for the Arts, LBK, Fl. 2006
  • Artist in Residence, Carla’s Clay, Sarasota, Fla. 2006,2007,2008,2009
  • Grants for New York State Artists 2001, awarded by Craft Alliance of NY 2001

Professional Experience

  • Presenter, National Council for Education in Ceramic Arts, Portland, Or 2006
  • Dept. Head Ceramics, Sugar Maples Center for the Arts, Maplecrest, NY 2004 to present
  • Teaching weekly classes and workshops, planning curriculum
  • The Art School at Old Church, Demarest, NJ, weekly classes  1998 to present
  • Earthworks Pottery, 1705 First Ave, NY, NY, weekly classes 1998 to 2002

Selected Exhibitions

  • “Pictures on Pots”, Long Beach Island Foundation for Arts, NJ  2010
  • “Under Cover”, invitational, Clay Art Center, Port Chester, NY 2009
  • “Yunomi Invitational”, Akar Gallery, Iowa City, Iowa
  • Journeys in Clay, Mountain Top Gallery, Windham, NY
  • “The Art of Dining”, Worcester Center for Craft, Worcester, Ma 2008
  • Women With Wood,  NCECA, Pittsburgh, Pa.
  • “Yunomi Invitational” Akar Gallery, Iowa City, Iowa
  • “30 X 5”, Invitational, Akar Gallery, Iowa City, Iowa  2007
  • “Drink It In”, Invitational, Worcester Center for the Arts, Worcester, Ma
  • “Table Tops,” Invitational, Longbeach Island Foundation for Arts, Loveladies, NJ
  • Solo Show, “Recent work”, Carla’s Clay, Sarasota, Fl
  • Solo Show “Recent Work”, MT Burton Gallery, Surf City, NJ 2006
  • “The Elegant Table”, Invitational, Peter’s Valley Gallery, Layton, NJ
  • Solo Show “Recent Work”, Carla’s Clay, Sarasota, Fl
  • “Journeys In Clay” Mountain Top Gallery, Windham, NY
  • “Voices In Ceramics”, Invitational, Yager Museum, Hartwick College, NY 2005
  • “Family Matters”, Baltimore Clayworks, Md   Jurors: Kirt & Eva Mangus
  • 13th Annual Strictly Functional Pottery National, Pa   Juror: John Glick
  • Catskill Mountain Foundation Gallery, Juried, Hunter, NY
    S. Beecher, page two
  • “Karen Karnes Invitational” Worcester Center for the Arts, Worcester, Ma 2004
  • “Handle It” Invitational, Worcester Center for the Arts, Worcester, Ma
  • “The Fire Within”  Invitational, Seton Gallery, Univ. of New Haven, Ct
  • “Teabowls” Invitational, NCECA, Indianapolis, In
  • Ceramics 2003, Guilford Handcraft Center, Guilford, Ct Juror: Susan Peterson 2003
  • Pottery Invitational, Worcester Center for Crafts, Ma Juror: Karen Karnes
  • Solo Show, Carla’s Clay, Sarasota, Fl
  • “Made In Clay” National Invitational, Greenwich House Pottery, NY, NY 1997 to 2003
  • “The Nature of Wood & Soda” 2 Person show, The Clay Place, Pittsburgh, Pa 2002
  • 10th Annual Strictly Functional Pottery National, Ephrata, Pa   Juror: Jack Troy
  • Functional Ceramics 2002, Wooster, Ohio Juror: Phyllis Blair Clark
  • Utilitarian Ceramic National, Baton Rouge, La   Juror: Ron Meyers
  • “Winterfest 2001” National Invitational, Baltimore Clayworks, Md 2001
  • “Karen Karnes & Friends” National Invitational, Waterbury, Vt 1999, 2000, 2001
  • “Reflections On Spring” Solo Show, MT Burton Gallery, Surf City, NJ
  • “Ceramics 2001” Guilford Handcraft Center, Guilford, Ct Juror: John Glick
  • “The 2000 International Orton Cone Box Show, Baker Univ. Ks
  • “USA Craft Today” Silvermine Art Center,  Juried  New Canaan, Ct 1999
  • National Teapot Show IV, Invitational, Creedmore, NC
  • 7th Annual Strictly Functional Pottery National,  Pa Juror: Warren MacKenzie
  • “Ceramics Monthly International Exhibition”, Columbus Ohio Juried
  • “Visual Midras” 2 person show, Berger Gallery, Pittsburgh, Pa
  • Monarch National Ceramic Competition, Florence, Al  Juror: Michael Monroe 1997
  • “Ceramics 1997” Mill Gallery, Guilford, Ct Jurrors: Wayne Higby & William Daley
  • “New York State Contemporary Crafts” New York State Museum, Albany, NY
  • “Shades of Shino” Baltimore Claywrks, Md  Juror: Malcolm Davis
  • 1996 Monarch National Ceramic Competition, Florence, Al  Juror: Toni Sikes 1996
  • Ceramic USA 1996, Denton Tx  Juror: Don Reitz

JUROR  FOR THE FOLLOWING EXHIBITIONS

  • “Women with Wood; Three Generations, NCECA, Pittsburgh, Pa 2008
  • “30th Annual Earthworks Exhibition” South County Art Asso. Kingston, RI 2002
  • “Journeys in Clay” Mountain Top Gallery, Windham, NY 2001, 2002, 2003
  • “Vessels Tat Pour”  Vermont Clay Center, Waterbury, Vt 1999
  • “Vessels  Real & Imagined”Mountain Top Gallery, Windham, NY 1993

PUBLICATIONS

  • Susan Beecher Woodfired Pottery, Oct.2005, Catskill Mountain Press, 155 pages
  • Clay Times, Vol.13 No.2 March /April 2006;  Vol 16 No.2  2005 March/April
  • 500 Pitchers, Sept. 2006, Lark Books, Terry Guess, Editor
  • Kaatskill Life, Fall 2006,  Vol.21, No.3, Feature Article
  • Arts Alive, Greene County Council on the Arts, Catskill, NY Jan. 2005
  • The Daily Freeman, Kingston, NY, Nov.17,2005
  • The Daily Star, Oneonta, NY, Sept. 30,2005
  • The Longboat Observer, Longboat Key, Fl Feb 26, 2004
  • The New York Times, Oct. 19,2002
  • The New York Times, March 14, 2003
  • Ceramics Monthly,  Jan. 2006; Sept. 2005; Sept 2002; April 2001; April 1998; Oct. 1995
  • Clay Times, 1998
  • The Art of Contemporary  American Potters by Kevin Hluch, Krause Pub. Aug.2001
  • The Best of Pottery Vol.II by Fina & Gustin, Rockport Pub. Nov. 1998
  • The Best of New Ceramic Art, Toni Sikes, Handbooks Inc, May 1997
  • The Best of Pottery Vol.I by Fairbanks & Fina, Rockport Pub. Nov.1996

WORKSHOPS  TAUGHT AT FOLLOWING

  • West Side YMHA, New York, NY 2010
  • Kingsborough Community College, Brooklyn, NY 2007
  • Dowling College, Oakdale, NY 2007
  • Sugar Maples Center for the Arts, Windham, NY 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010
  • Touchstone Center for the Arts, Farmington, Pa. 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010
  • The Clay Art Guild, Sag Harbor, NY 2006
  • New Jersey Pottery Guild, Denville, NJ 2004, 2005
  • Mud Flat Studio, Somerville, Ma 2003. 2005
  • Carla’s Clay, Sarasota, Fl 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009
  • Longboat Key Center for the Arts, Longboat Key, Fl 2001 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007
  • Peter’s Valley Craft Education Center, Layton,  1999, 2001, 2003, 2006, 2009
  • South County Art Asso. Kingston, RI 2002
  • Long Beach Island Foundation for Arts, Loveladies, 2000,2001,2002
  • Interlaken School of Art, Stockbridge, Ma 2002
  • Roberson Museum & Science Center, Binghamton, NY 1999, 2002, 2006, 2007
  • Truro Center for the Arts, Castle Hill, Truro, Ma 2004
  • Perkins Center for the Arts, Moorestown, NJ 2000
  • The Potter’s Wheel, Flushing, NY 2000
  • Guilford Handcraft Center, Guilford, Ct 2000
  • Worcester Center for the Crafts, Worcester, Ma 1999
  • Horace Mann Secondary School, Riverdale, NY 1999
  • Craft Students League, YWCA of City of NY 1999
  • Hudson River Potters Asso. Port Jefferson, NY 1995
  • Smithy Pioneer Pottery, Cooperstown, NY 1994
    S. Beecher  page  four
  • Montgomery Potters Asso. Potomac, Md 1994

EDUCATION

  • Michigan State University, East Lansing, Mi. BA 1968
  • Ceramic studies with: Camille Billops, Susan Peterson, Kim Dickey, Michael Simon, Michael Boyer, Woody Hughes, Bruce Winn, Karen Karnes, Jeff Oestriech, Warren Mackenzie