Sue Ela

Born in: 1948, United States

Lives in: Israel

Media: Sculpture, Outdoor and Playground Sculpture

Describe your work in 3 words: Flowing - Abstract - Connections

See More Work:

The Kingdom Playground - Cement covered Steel Structure

"My favorite technique is bending steel wires, covering them with clay and casting them in bronze or polyester. My most exciting art project is "The Kingdom Playground" in Jerusalem which is made up of eight huge sculptures of royal images. I have exhibited in Israel, Europe and the United States."

What themes does your work involve?
My sculptures deal mostly with relationships, couples, women and dance. Based on my abstract sculptures, I have designed a family sculpture park which is experiential and interactive. It encourages contact and dialogue between the child, the inner child of the adult, and the sculpture. The sculptures themselves become abstract and magical, stimulating the imagination and encouraging familiar and treasured experiences like climbing, sliding and swinging.
Describe your creative process.
I begin with a block of clay or some steel wire and I try to develop an idea or a feeling I have. I often feel driven by something within me and my original idea often changes in the process of creating the sculpture and turns into something different than I had planned.
Sculpture is a natural continuation of my work as a psychologist, giving me the opportunity to examine different avenues of expressing the complicated emotional realm of relationships. My conviction that people have the ability to change and grow in their personal being and in their relationships is expressed in the flow and movement in my sculpture. I try to make sculpture that creates a positive experience, invites people to touch them and connects people with art.
In my opinion, good art is art that has an impact on people and gives them a significant and rememberable experience while coming into contact with it.
What is the role of the artist today?
Despite the changing and complicated world we are living in, I feel that the role of the artist has not changed and that art is an opportunity for the artist to express his feelings and beliefs and to try to make a mark on his world.
