Moments in Ink: An Interview with Susan Dorf

Photo: Florence Leyret.

If you've spent time around Patzcuaro for a while, you've likely seen Susan Dorf, sitting inconspicuously at a local concert, fiesta or coffee shop, pen in hand, dividing her attention between the sketch pad at her side and the live action taking place in front of her.

Susan, a soft-spoken Californian now living in Patzcuaro, is recognized for her paintings, collages, prints and sketchbook drawings, all of which invoke a keen sense of her environment blended with her creative imagination. This profile will focus primarily on her sketch work.

Each of Susan's sketches invokes a story, capturing the essence of the energy around her, be it a parade, protest, or people enjoying beer or cup of coffee, while displaying a sense of whimsy and often humor.

I sat down with Susan outside her studio to learn more about the artist and her work.

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How did you first discover your interest in making art? 

Susan: Basically I have made stuff for as long as I remember. When I was in kindergarten, I clearly remember the teacher painted a sky...a simple swath of blue, and I was hooked.  It's not really something I decided, it just happened naturally.

So, from a very early age?

S: Yes, but I wasn't born gifted.  I explored many different modes of art over many years.

Such as?

S: In Monterey, California I took classes in music, ceramics, and illustration. I moved to San Francisco in the early 1980's, and attended the San Francisco Academy of Art, earning a BFA in Illustration and Fine Art. 

Studying Illustration taught me how to draw, as well as maintain discipline, while studying Fine Art taught me how to make art for myself. 

I have always loved to sketch on site, especially people and events.

One of my favorite teachers at the Academy of Art was a sketch artist in courtrooms and

battlefields—Howard Brody. He taught me how to work quickly and to capture movement.

What did you do with that formal education? 

S: I knew I didn't want a “traditional” job, I wanted to make art and learn how to make a living from it.  One of my early gigs was drawing caricatures of tourists in Monterey. 

I also taught art classes and did commission work, illustrating posters, notecards and books. 

For a few years I taught art to kids at the “Artists in Schools” program in Monterey. I loved working with kids- especially around ages 8-10, as they are old enough to learn techniques and still young enough to be creative and experimental without being self critical.

In France, I taught plein air painting, and in Cabrillo College in Santa Cruz, California, I taught a workshop I called “Fearless Painting”, a method I developed to combinelearning practical painting techniques with the principles of Process Painting. 

I also taught drawing and painting out of my studio both in the US and Mexico.

Photo: Sharon Conklin.

So, when did you decide to move to Mexico? And why?

S: I began coming to Mexico on a regular basis in the mid 1970's, first to the beaches and then to San Miguel de Allende. I also spent time in Patzcuaro in the 1980's and lived in San Cristobal de las Casas in Chiapas for a few years in the early 1990's.

After that I left Mexico to go back to the US and did not return to Mexico until around

2011. That is when I moved to San Miguel and started exhibiting my work there and

teaching art classes from my studio. I began producing sketches of local scenes for the

newspaper, the Atención San Miguel, which I later published as a book called "Vistas de

San Miguel".

Do you carry supplies with you when you are out and about?

S: Yes. I never know when I'll see something that catches my interest. I usually sketch in ink and watercolor because they are quick and portable.

Working directly in ink pen rather than pencil is like learning to swim by  jumping into a pool, because I find that once you've started, you're committed at that point. It really helps you overcome your fear or hesitation, and overcome your worries of perfection. Urban Sketching started getting popular around 10-15 years ago, as a kind of “reportage”, drawing, or reporting an incident or event. Now there are Urban Sketching groups and meetups all over the world.

Is sketching a daily habit for you?

S: I always have some sort of art project in mind or in the works. 

What do people often misunderstand about sketching as an art form? 

S: Often, people see it as a given “gift”. They don't realize how much training goes into it.

As an artist, it's important to keep showing up. 

If you tell yourself you “can't”, you won't. Let yourself be a beginner. The discipline and desire has to be there.  I teach and practice what I call the 3 D's of art making: If you have the Desire to create, you must Dare to take risks and make mistakes, and maintain Discipline to make art a practice in your life.

In addition to sketching, I also love working with mixed media—combining drawing, painting and collage, because this process provides the element of surprise in my work. Lately I have also been incorporating digital processes into my work as well.

In all of my art, I practice process painting, which is a method of creating art that is about working through fears and blocks towards a level of trust, thereby opening you up to a much deeper connection with the creative process.

This method informs absolutely everything I do.

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To learn more about Susan Dorf, visit her website at www.susandorf.com and on her facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/artbysusandorf/

You can view Susan's works at her studio in Patzcuaro once or twice a year at her open houses, or  by appointment.  She also teaches occasional workshops in sketching and offers private sessions as well.

You can contact her at susan@susandorf.com for more info.

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With an insatiable love for travel and storytelling, Jules Fredrick roams the globe in search of people, places, and adventures worth sharing, (and some better left untold). 

She currently resides in Patzcuaro, Mexico with her four rescued dogs.