I have some sad news to pass along. Susan Elizabeth Wood passed away
today, 12/29 at 4:10 pm in Oakland, California after a long illness.
Susan was an incredible person, a consummate craftsman and artist
and a good friend to so many people in the Bay Area and especially in
Mendocino. She has taught for the past several years at California
College of Art and is widely known as a gifted and wonderful teacher
throughout the United States. For those among you who have had the
good fortune to learn from her or to count her as a friend or who
knew her work I share your sorrow. She will be sorely missed.
So, raise a glass – vodka martini would be a good choice-- to Susan
Wood. Safe travels, Susan. We will miss you.
For those that knew her, I want to let everyone know that Susan Wood
died yesterday, Dec. 29th. She was at peace and surrounded by some of
her closest friends.
Susan’s 2 1/2 year battle with colon and liver cancer has been an
inspiration to everyone who crossed her path. Her unstoppable spirit
was always accompanied by humor and grace.
Most people know Susan from her unbelievable metalwork, her founding
and endless support of the Mendocino Art Center’s Metalsmithing
Program, teaching Jewelry/Metals at California College of the Arts
and the hundreds of workshops she taught throughout the world. Susan
found strength in teaching and worked in her position at California
College of the Arts all the way until her final months. Even then,
she wanted as many days as she could get in this world saying, “I
still have pieces I want to make.”
Susan Wood was my friend and colleague who I’ve known my entire
adult life. For many years we were a team, building the Mendocino Art
Center’s Jewelry/Metals Program from nothing into something and then
keeping it alive and thriving. I’ll miss her greatly.
Any words that you post on Orchid, I’ll make sure get passed onto
her daughter.
Any words that you post on Orchid, I'll make sure get passed onto
her daughter.
I was so sorry to hear about Susan. I met Susan at the Crossing
Boundaries Enamelist Society’s conference in Ontario and sat in on
her presentation twice. I found the level of her work incredible and
the imagination she used to execute that work was inspiring. Her
work fit seamlessly into her collaboration in the enamels which
appeared on the cover of Glass on Metal.
Several years ago I saw my dream class, Mechanisims with Susan,
offered through the Florida Society of Goldsmiths and drove from the
Washington, D.C. area to take the week-long class. Susan was a
wonderful instructor and will be much missed.
For years, I’ve admired the work of Susan Elizabeth Wood, looking in
awe at her amazing craftsmanship and exquisite designs. Last year, at
the SNAG conference, I had the honor and pleasure of meeting Susan
and talking with her for a few moments. She was happy, warm and
willing to share technical “secrets” with a complete stranger. I felt
at that moment that I was in the presence of a very special person.
I will cherish my moment with Susan and feel extremely grateful that
I will always have an image of her bright, shining face in my mind.
I feel very privileged to have known Susan and I was a student in
three of her workshops. Not only was she a fabulous person but a
wonderful thoughtful instructor who taught all she knew willingly and
patiently. I was the lucky reciprocate of a woven heart she made in
one of our workshops and I will cherish it forever. She was an
unbelievable metal smith and her work is meticulous and beautiful.
She will be sorely missed. I wish her daughter and family my sincere
sympathies.
I truly feel we have a great loss in this community, in California,
especially, Susan was an incredible giver of knowledge and she
wanted to share all she knew. She was an exemplary technician with
ZERO ego. She was amazing and I am sad she is gone. She cared only
for bringing out the best in all. We have a big loss in our
community. Blessings on your journey, Susan, I hope it is so good
for you, dear lady… Fond regards Dee
Evan and I were so saddened to hear of Susan’s death. When she
brought me out to teach at Mendocino Art Center, she immediately
made me feel, not only welcome and appreciated, but part of the art
center community. She accommodated my needs in the studio, prepared
everything prior to my arrival, picked me up at the airport; in
short, she was the dream of every workshop instructor. And, on top
of that, she was one of the dearest and kindest of all the people in
our lives, with talents that rank among the best. As long as we live,
we will miss her and remember her with love and respect.
I was so saddened to hear this morning that Susan passed. She was an
incredible creative funny craftsman who will be sorely missed. Her
work meticulous & diverse. If you were trying something new, Ask
Susan, she’d worked in all processes. She was such a warm friendly
person & a great teacher. One of the best teachers and metalsmiths in
my lifetime and am fortunate to have studied with her at Mendocino
Art Center. My heart goes out to her family and friends.