The work of Susan Maddux is deeply rooted in personal history and the vibrant landscape of the tropics. Working in Los Angeles as a fourth-generation hapa-Japanese artist born and raised in Hawaii, her art is a journey of reconnection to childhood fascinations, merging tactile connection with the transformative power of material.

A decades long career as a surface pattern designer in New York City prompted her to consider her paintings as material for transformation. In 2013, she began creating sculptural paintings through meticulous folding. Raw canvas is painted in repeating patterns with acrylic paint then transformed into sculptural objects that drape and seem to float on the wall, ranging in size from twelve inches to seven feet tall and extending out by two to six inches. As Heather Peterson wrote: “This work reminds us that the obscuring act of the fold anchors us to the hidden corrugations within our bodies: mitochondria and intestines, or the sutures in our skull, and to a central fact of perception that we can never see all of something at once.”

Maddux’s process is a ritualistic homage to the generations of women that came before, connected through the rhythmic gestures of smoothing, folding, and shaking out cloth. This repetitive act of creation speaks to accumulation, veneration, and reflection, infusing each work with a sense of reverence and history.

As pieces grow larger, they take on an anthropomorphic quality, forging a physically resonant connection with the viewer. Their intention is to transform spaces into sanctuaries for meditation and imagination, inviting viewers to engage deeply with the resonant objects and their own inner landscapes.

Through her sculptural paintings, Maddux strives to create a dialogue between the past and the present, and the material and the spiritual, offering a space for contemplation and connection.

Susan Maddux (b. Honolulu, Hawaii) is a Los Angeles based artist working in sculpture, collage and painting. She received a BFA from the San Francisco Art Institute.

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