L. SUSAN STARK

          Fabrics are an integral part of our lives.  They are sensuous, they are practical, they give us comfort, and they make us smile.  We use them to wear, to sit on, to sleep on, and to walk on.  For me they also belong to the art world.  The unique luster of silk fabrics lends itself to a rich media for wall hangings that have a three-dimensional character.  The bold colors are well suited to my vision of nature inspired designs using a spontaneous process and putting a smile on the viewer's face. Touch them!

         Fabrics have always been important in my life:  first draping a sheet around myself as a seven-year old playing dress-up; then sewing my first garment with my grandmother’s old treadle machine; wearing crisp and swishy taffetas to high school dances; buying a loom with my first paycheck; through working on my dissertation connecting technology with textile design changes for my Ph.D.  My role as designer in the New York City apparel industry and as a Professor of Apparel Design at San Francisco State University has given me ample opportunity to experiment with fabrics, textures and designs.  Now I continue the love of textiles by developing silk dupioni and organza into textured wall hangings in an array of colors. 

          The natural environment is my greatest source of design inspiration and both of these states as well as traveling have given me rich design resources.  My work can be seen in Berkeley, California, Santa Fe, New Mexico, and Sarasota, Florida.