-= NMSU PANORAMA - Summer 2005 =- Aggie Whirl: Labor of Love: Treading the Artistic Maze

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Treading the Artistic Maze

By Marcie King '04

Silvia Marinas

Susan King conducts a workshop for an art class during a visit to campus last fall.

"There's always more than one story for me," says Susan King '73, referring to one of her books, I Spent the Summer in Paris, which depicts her visits to both Paris, France, and Paris, Kentucky. Indeed, this sums up the story of King's life. The artist and writer grew up in rural Kentucky surrounded by a family full of storytelling and southern oral tradition. Little did she know that this popular pastime would have such a profound effect on her life and career for years to come.

The beginnings of King's success can be traced back as early as the 1970s, when she attended NMSU as a graduate student. The classically trained sculptor was drawn to NMSU because of its beautiful southwestern surroundings. "The freedom and expanse of the landscape, the promise of the West, is what I sought," she says. During her years at NMSU, King perfected her craft as a sculptor while working on her master's degree in fine arts. She also was a pioneer in bringing recognition to women in the arts. King and Christina Krusé, a fellow graduate student, came up with the idea to teach a class on women and art. The class was among the first of its kind.

After graduating from NMSU, King began to feel restless and headed further west, settling in Los Angeles. It was there that she gained an interest in the printing process, which led her to produce her own books. She teamed up with Judy Chicago, Sheila de Bretteville and Arlene Raven, the founders of the experimental Feminist Studio Workshop, which emerged from the turbulent politics of the 1960s. "We were really trying to help people print their own work." She went on to found Paradise Press, where she makes books using lead type and letterpress equipment. King fell in love with using letterpress because of its simplicity.

Today, King has partially abandoned her work in the production process to focus on her real passion, art and storytelling. Her current work, Treading the Maze, is an example of her eloquent blending of photography and writing. The book describes her year of travel through medieval Europe as well as her diagnosis, treatment and recovery from breast cancer. Treading the Maze begins with a series of vivid images to transform the reader into a tourist mindset. The reader doesn't know the meaning of the story until he or she gets to the center of the maze, which is the underlying theme of the book.

The NMSU Honors College featured an exhibition of King's work to celebrate its 40th anniversary last year.

King divides her time between Los Angeles and Kentucky and continues to create books. Not surprisingly, King has not forgotten about her impressionable years at NMSU and has a message for aspiring artists. Her advice is simple: "Keep working."

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