Hi Folks! I'm excited to launch the Pine Tree Pop-up makers series in collaboration with the lovely, Elena Sarni. Through this series we will introduce you to some of the amazing makers Elena works with as she hosts pop-ups across New England.

Today's maker is Susana McDonnell, a print maker from Massachusetts. Elena was introduced to Susana on Instagram through fellow printmaker Mindy Schumacher. They bonded over a shared love of the mostly all-women, Gloucester, Massachusetts-based, block printing collective called the Folly Cove Designers (1938-1969), which is the topic of the book that Elena is writing.

Like the Folly Cove Designers, Susana primarily prints on textiles. Elena loves mid-century modern style so Susana's clean, modern designs immediately appealed to her, as well as her rich color choices.

“I admire how Susana is not afraid to explore her medium and try new things. Customers are drawn to her work because it is both functional and beautiful. I love her bold designs and enjoy working with her. I can’t wait to see what she submits to my upcoming holiday show."

Now to the interview...enjoy!

Hi Susana! Please tell us a little bit about your childhood and background as an artist.

Sure! I was raised in Newton, MA, and am definitely one of those people who was born an artist. I've always liked to draw and from a very young age have always taken the opportunity to learn new things in the art world. Luckily, Newton South High School has absolutely amazing art facilities. I loved spending time in the sunny, plant-filled pottery studio throwing pots, or in the darkroom developing film and printing photos.

After high school I went to Alfred University and was accepted into their BFA program. I studied various mediums there including glass, neon, wood, painting and drawing. Then I did a year and a half of post-graduate studies at Iowa State University. There I studied Lithography, screen printing and drawing. I also spent a semester in Rome, studying drawing and watercolor in their studio a block from the Pantheon. It was a wonderful experience.

I went on to pursue various professions, but waiting tables always paid the bills and fueled my love of food and wine. I worked as a production glassblower, taught private glassblowing lessons, and taught art to middle and high schoolers for seven years. I also ran a catering company with my husband for a few years.

How did you get into print making? What do you find appealing about the craft?

I think printing is in my blood. My father ran an offset press for most of his adult life. I started printmaking after a three and a half year dry spell. I had just given birth to my son and while he was very young basically made no art. Finally I enrolled him in preschool two days a week and found myself with some down time. I had lino printing supplies on hand and almost randomly decided to open an Instagram account and start printing. I honestly can't say why I did it. Maybe because the materials and my studio space were just sitting there waiting for me?

Anyway for me there is something about printing that is just so satisfying. Peeling back the inky lino and seeing it transform a formerly plain surface into something completely different and new never fails to bring me joy.

Can you tell us a bit about your style and how you create your gorgeous geometric prints?

This style is something new to me. I have never studied pattern and never used it in my artwork before. I started doing it almost on instinct. I have always loved rulers, pencils, circle tracers and compasses. I just grabbed them one day and started working and never stopped.

What has the process been like applying your designs to products and selling them?

It has been a lot of experimentation and YouTube learning.Prior to this adventure I did have a little bit of sewing experience. However, I have learned a lot by just feeling my way through and trying out different things. I tend to be inspired by materials, so rather than having a set idea of what I want to make, my process usually starts with finding fabrics I like. Then I print in a way that I feel best suits the fabric.I enjoy doing shows and sales and it is affirming to get a positive response from my customers. I hope that people take my work home and enjoy using it in their everyday life.

And recently you participated in one of Elena's pop-ups?

Yes, I was so pleased that Elena picked me to be an artist for one of her pop-ups. She has a really amazing eye and it was such an honor to be featured among so many other talented artists. She was truly a pleasure to work with and hopefully we will continue to work together in the future.

And you are teaching print-making too! What has that been like?

The #linocave_u #reductiongrid class on Instagram was an absolutely amazing experience. It went from a late-night musing to reality in about three days. I made a post to gauge interest and got an overwhelmingly positive response. Ultimately about 100 students enrolled in the class from across the globe. If you look at the hashtags (which did not exist until a few months ago) the body of work is astounding. I, in conjunction with my co-teacher Mindy Schumacher, presented the same information to the entire class and got so many different results.

We used a combination of Instagram posts, stories and email to convey the lessons and included a social media component to the coursework. Overall we fostered a wonderful little community that served to support its members in creating work for the class. I even met one of the students while I was traveling in Nice, France.

There was challenge component to the class as well. We partnered with Alice of The Printmakers' Showcase , which is a large printmaking feature account on Instagram. Mindy, Alice and I selected four finalists, which was not easy given the quality of work. Mindy and I then posted the four finalists’ pieces on our accounts over the course of four days. We allowed a 24-hour voting period where people could like and comment to cast their votes. The winner was Pernille Sand of Copenhagen, who truly created the most innovative work of the class.

What advice would you give to someone who is interested in print-making but has never tried it?

Go for it! You can start very simply, even just using a pre-made stamp and get as complicated as you like, The sky is the limit.

Can you tell us a few fun facts about you that we may not already know?

I love food, wine and travel and try to incorporate them into my life as much as I can.
I am a plant hoarder, especially jades.
I'm obsessed with real estate, construction and renovation and I'm pretty good at fixing toilets.

Want to see more of Susana's work?

About the author: Elena M. Sarni

Elena M. Sarni has a BA in English and an MA in History and Museum Studies from the University of New Hampshire. She worked as a curator at art museums and held fellowships to study folk art collections early in her career. Upon moving to Maine she worked as a freelance art reviewer for several years, managed a local arts association, and took positions at a few small museums.

She organized her first fine art and craft pop-up shop in 2015 and is currently planning her sixth show, which will open this November. She branded the business as Pine Tree Pop-Up in 2016, naming it for Maine's state tree.

She takes pride in supporting local artists and promoting the creative economy.

Want to know more about Elena? Read this post she wrote

'Behind the Scenes of a Pop-up shop with Elena M. Sarni'.

Pine Tree Pop-up makers series: Print making with Susana McDonnell