Kandis Susol

Artist Kandis Susol works out of her studio known as Jakuan (Arbor of Tranquility), located on remote Orcas Island, where she creates her encaustic paper sculptures as a form of spiritual practice. Inspired by her study of garden design in Kyoto, Japan; practicing tea ceremony at Shoseian in Seattle, Washington; and her study of Zen Buddhism, she is wholeheartedly present in the moment when she works, infusing each piece with a meditative quality and materials representing all four earthly elements: water, air, fire and earth. 

The colors one perceives in each piece are not colors from dye, but the play of light and shadow as one moves position in relation to the artwork. Each work is comprised of natural elements, including iridescent pigment made from the likes of fish scales and freshwater oyster shells ground into an oil medium to uniquely reflect light, wax from bees, and organic Kozo pulp from Japan to make the translucent paper—a process that takes months to complete.

Works by Susol have been exhibited at museums in the Pacific Northwest and sold out at individual and group shows. Her sought-after custom commissions are prized works that have been displayed in exquisite private homes, chic luxury hotels, and in design magazines.