Solo Art Exhibition: Susan Hensel “Innovations in Materials and Colors”

Innovations in Materials and Colors
Solo Exhibition by Susan Hensel

Exhibition Dates:
November 3rd, 2025 – Exhibition Opening Day
November 15th, 2025 – Exhibition Closes

Artist Statement:
I make sculptural textile work combining mixed-media practices with fabric and embroidery across digital and manual platforms. I exploit the physics of light as it interacts with the structure of the triangular embroidery thread.
The Innovation: I work in digital embroidery which is commonly used for monograms, ball caps, sports patches, and holiday sweaters! Quite by accident, with no prior exposure, I saw a computer aided embroidery machine in action at the Minnesota State Fair. I was astounded by the COLOR, it’s depth and mutability. At that moment I could almost see how it could be manipulated in the sculptural realm. It took years of study, research, experimentation, grants, loans, and serendipity to arrive at this place of utter innovation: making hard-edged, three-dimensional structures from paradoxically soft materials that hold their shape, yet provide perplexing, observed color shifts activated by the viewer’s movement. No motors, no smoke and mirrors. Just the movement of the viewer. The effect on the viewer is one of confusion and sometimes awe, stopping them in their tracks as they try to parse what it is they are seeing. The color environment that I create is based on several material considerations. The polyester embroidery thread is trilobal, having a roughly triangular cross section, causing light to scatter at different angles from the thread, displaying a broader chroma. By creating permanent folds and wrinkles, the scatter is intensified. What this means is that with very few actual colors of thread, a changing, rich chroma can be created. A shape that has identical threads, when it is folded, can appear to have a different colorway on either side of the fold. This perception is expanded when a person looks at the piece from different angles, or when they are in motion. The closest analog would be the old billboards made from vertical boards: drive by them in one direction and see “Marilyn Monroe” drive in the other direction and see “Rock Hudson.” At its base, this is a simple application of the most basic understanding of the physics of color. I am manipulating materials in a way that changes the angle of reflection of the light that forms the visible colors.

The social environment: The pressure to produce, to stay busy, to work overtime (regardless of financial need) is pervasive in western culture. Having an overfull calendar, being frantically busy are stressful badges of honor that can reduce productivity, health and life satisfaction. It has been my goal, through over 50 years of work and through many media to create artwork that encourages people to take a breath, slow down, be present in the moment and be aware of the opportunities for both community and introspection, whether that be in the home or work environment. By producing these radically beautiful and visually perplexing works, I can encourage people to slow down, even for 30 seconds, and return to their tasks refreshed. It is a sly subterfuge, activated below knowledge and below language…a pure, refreshing experience.

Artist Biography:
Susan Hensel makes sculptural textile work combining mixed-media practices with fabric and embroidery across digital and manual platforms exploiting the physics of light as it interacts with the structure of the triangular embroidery thread.