A preview of this years Ann Arbor Art Fairs.

SUSAN LEVI-GOERLICH

/-

Susan Levi-Goerlich sketches and takes photographs of gardens and
then captures their essence on cloth. Working with hand-painted silk
and free-motion sewing machine embroidery, she creates images similar
to the ones found in Impressionist paintings.
"I move the fabric around and create different effects," says the artist,
who works at a 25-year-old sewing machine with a palette of more than
300 thread colors. "I have a pretty wide color range, just like what can
be found in a garden. I blend and mix hues by layering threads and cre-
ate painterly effects by using thousands of stitches."
Levi-Goerlich, 40, earned a bachelor's degree in studio art and a bach-
elor's degree in psychology at the University of Maryland before getting a
law degree at George Washington University. Although she worked as an
attorney for a short time, her love for art drew her back.
"I just love that I'm able to capture and interpret the beauty of gar-
dens," says Levi-Goerlich, who this year was awarded the Maryland State
Arts Council Individual Artist Award. "Fiber blends the skills and sensi-
tivity acquired while obtaining my degree in art with the love for fabric
that I had ever since I began sewing in junior high school."
A resident of Maryland, Levi-Goerlich shows her work in galleries from
Alaska to Wisconsin, travels to art fairs and takes on commissions. She did
a wall piece of the Ten Commandments for a temple in Baltimore.
"I did the Commandments in silk and had two panels," explains
Levi-Goerlich, who used blue to capture the more spiritual essence of
the first five and went on to earth tones for the rest.

Above: Susan Levi-Goerlich: Detail, "Lake with Birch," hand-painted silk.

Above left: Barbara Sucherman: "Pin," sterling silver,
fused glass, semiprecious stones.
Opposite page: Steve Lapin: "Is This Mythical?" —
ceramic and mixed media.

7/16
1999

Detroit Jewish News

83

