I am Sue Cavanaugh.

Mixed Media/Fiber is my art.

Visual Artist |

Muse Gallery / (not) Sheep Gallery

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Sue Cavanaugh on Art and Life in Columbus

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"I’m a visual artist, working with mixed media, but mostly cloth. I like to see a space, see a material and think about how they can be transformed—to change the physical space and change the experience of that space."

"I’m a gatherer—of ideas and cloth. The result is flowing, responding to space, place and ideas."

"When I’m making art I'm often energized, working at lightening speed with music blaring. But sometimes I'm thoughtful and reflective. If I'm re-purposing a piece of clothing I'll often think about where it's been, on good days and bad days."

"What artistic creation am I most proud of? Perhaps Ori-Maki-Kume #3, aka, River. It was the largest, finishing at 10 ½ feet wide, 18 ½ feet high and 68 feet deep. It was installed in a ceiling at 400 West Rich. I feel it related to and filled the space very well. But my Corporate Skin piece might overtake it on certain days. It filled a 30-foot wall and achieved the right combination of artistic composition and political satire."

"I tell young artists to take chances and not worry about failing. Fear of failure can kill creativity. And often times those things we try that aren’t successful teach us more than the successful ones do."

"The best advice I’ve been given was to apply for the Greater Columbus Arts Council and Ohio Arts Council individual artist awards, and it’s not because of the possibility of a monetary award. The process of applying, taking a hard look at what I’m doing and writing about it, pushes me to improve my art. And it did lead to my selection for a Dresden residency and that was life and art transforming."

"There are so many very creative artists, galleries, institutions and events in Columbus. There’s a lot of support from the Greater Columbus Arts Council, Ohio Arts Council and Ohio Designer Craftsmen. I love the new wing at Columbus Museum of Art, the Wexner Center for the Arts and the Pizzuti Collection. I love the quality of the Columbus Arts Festival and the grittiness of the Artist Wrestling League. There are many great galleries including Muse Gallery, which represents me."

"To recharge and get inspired, I love looking at the movement of water, so it helps that I live and work near the Scioto. I also like to visit museums and galleries to see other artists’ work, take a walk, travel, read a book."

"I’m often asked ‘How long did it take to make this?’ It’s a slow process, but I don’t keep track of the time. If I clocked in and out, it would ruin the joy of making."