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Sussy Cazalet | Textile Artist

To meet Sussy Cazalet, even briefly, is to fully experience her work. The talented British artist - who swapped interior design for textile design - is as warm and expressive as her woven masterpieces, each of which takes on a new dimension in her presence. Large-scale rugs and tapestries, with names like Burnt Earth and Sahara Sun, reflect Sussy’s boundless creativity and curiosity, holding multiple ideas within their forms. 

Large-scale rugs and tapestries by Sussy Cazalet © Suzzy Cazalet; Tristan Hoare.  

How did you begin?

My last and most complicated interior design job was in west London, where my client had a wonderful collection of American, Italian and French modernist furniture. She couldn’t find any rugs she liked at the time so, as I had heavily delved into exploring mid-century design in California and Europe [during my design training], I was all too happy to help, drawing inspiration from this period in design. The culmination was three very mid-century inspired rugs and a huge 10-meter runner. I enjoyed the process so much that I started to wonder what would happen if I translated all my endless book of sketches and ideas into woven works of art, rugs and wall hangings.

During a spontaneous trip to India I met some amazing weavers and suddenly, in the space of six to 12 months, I found myself persuading more clients to trust me and let me make them rugs. It was pretty nerve wracking, all I had was my sketches and no idea how things would turn out. It was all thanks to very trusting clients and my weavers translating my hand drawn artworks. I became passionate about my connection with the weavers and how, through weaving, I could in turn help these women literally weave themselves out of poverty. This connection between my drawings and the weavers has also been a huge inspiration for me: endless trips to India, a culture flooded with color and inspiration; the possibility of learning more about an ancient craft and culture, and, in turn, allowing me to express all my ideas.

A tapestry by Sussy Cazalet hanging in London's Tristan Hoare Gallery © Tristan Hoare.

How did you learn?

My mother and most of my family are artists in some medium and painting is something I have grown up surrounded by. I learnt about color through my mother, and further explored painting, mixed media and textile printing at Leeds textile school, before exploring drawing and design through a more disciplined approach in New York, at Parsons School of Design.

Perhaps this is why much of my work has a heavy linear and geometric approach, influenced by the rigidity of architectural drawings and mid-century design. I am, however, excited to loosen up and go back to the days where I painted the human body, animals, flowers, the softer more organic lines, which are seen in my rugs. It is wonderful to be able to be more decorative with my rugs, which satisfies one part of my creative mind, and then the tapestries are a more disciplined, geometric exploration of colour in bold shapes. I don’t think I could ever just sit with one.

How do you plan, prepare and create your works?

For months, I often have ideas rolling around my head before I can express them on paper, especially when it’s a custom piece. I almost have to build the space architecturally in my head and imagine how one would move around it and how the space would breath around it, then suddenly I will have an idea, and I start painting.

The paintings are often done in large batches, so I have various ideas to work into with collage, ink etc. Like everything in life, some designs come easily, and others can take months to come to fruition. When I get a new commission and want to start on it, I often, as a ritual, clean out my studio, almost clearing the space from past designs. This prepares my mind for a new set of ideas.

Once the ideas start coming, I am often in constant conversation with both my clients, and my weavers, so that I know we are all on the same page.

Sussy's artworks and inspiration in her former home in Norfolk © Genevieve Lutkin

Who or what most inspires you?

Without really noticing it, I think I log [everything] - travels abroad, a walk in the woods in Norfolk, images - photographically in my memory, so that when I come to design I sort of pick out elements I liked, and then draw. Whether it was a fresco in Italy I had seen the year before, or a beautiful postcard in a shop, or an exhibition, or even the shape of the stars one evening, it all sort of sits like a library in my brain. I find this easier than actually photographing things I like. All these photos get lost on a screen and I can’t do screens; I never look to a screen for inspiration. If anything, being flooded by too many images on a screen can kill my creativity.

The sea always inspires me, and the vast coastline of Norfolk in particular: the dunes, the washed out colors of the shrubbery, the peace. The huge expanse of space and land always seems to clear my head and allow for new ideas to flood in.

What does a typical day look like for you?

My mornings are dominated by getting my kids up and ready for school. If I can snatch 10 minutes of sitting and meditating about the day, I will, but normally it's a few hours of chaos first thing. My head is usually mashed by 9am after the school run, so I often go for a 40-minute walk with the dog to clear my head from child chaos and prepare for going into my studio to start painting.

Like any artist, some days I just can’t make anything good happen and others I can. I can’t really paint for more than an hour at a time, I always need to get up and move around. Again, I will often take a break to walk, do some stretching or play tennis. If I really need to delve into a custom piece or prepare for show, I crave total peace and often have to escape somewhere on my own for four to five days so my head isn’t flooded with home admin!

Interview by Camilla Frances