Welcome to SueChampArt where fine art, sculpture, and recycled materials meet, merge and ignite surprise and wonder.

This is where I show off my artworks, recycled materials sculptures, and ramble about how they were made. I love making strange things out of unusual materials, also visualize data I collect in the environment around me. I am always wondering... what can this aluminum can or paper pate become?  How many laundry bottle lids will I need to make a 100 foot long mosaic?

This first post is shameless sales: my Holiday Catalog of bent metal Tropical Stars.

So here is the 2023 catalog and order sheet. You can order by email at susanchampeny@gmail.com or through Instagram at @suechampart

Tropical Stars began as my COVID isolation project. In February of 2022, I delivered my last large sculpture to the Capitol Hill Arts Workshop in Washington DC. It was a giant Horseshoe Crab made of airplane-grade aluminum, and still can be found on a street pole at the intersection of H and 16th Streets SE. I then drove all over the East Coast: Pittsburgh - DC - Baltimore - Worcester MA - Pittsburgh, saw my niece, taught 3 afterschool classes and flew home to Hawaii on Feb 28. Ten days later Hawaii went into shutdown, and I was cut off from my sister's metal shop in Pittburgh as well as any chance of creating more sculpture, teaching classes, participating in summer sculpture shows or any further income that year.

To keep my metal bending skills going without a metal shop, I started creating geometric shapes from aluminum cans. Stars became my favorite shape, and so I created a rainbow series of Tropical Star ornaments for Holiday gifts for family. I used ONLY local beverages canned here in Hawaii, each acarefully selected favorite drink for all the family. I posted a lone Purple Guava star on my facebook page, and instantly got texts from friends who wanted to order their favorite Hawaii drink stars too. At a time when it was extremely difficult to travel to/from Hawaii, it was a meaningful gift. Fast forward to 2023... and I am still making Tropical Stars and enjoying sending them out into the world.

Mahalo
Sue