Suzann Thompson

Suzann Thompson

Writer & Artist

Suzann Thompson was born into a family with a long tradition of needlework. She learned to knit and crochet as a child. Though she later earned a bachelor’s degree in biology from The University of Texas at Austin, these crafts became first her avocation and then her career. She gained skill by teaching others and designing needlework and craft projects for publication in magazines and books. Beginning in the 1990s, Suzann explored the possibilities of using knitting and crochet to create art. She developed a signature technique called TextileFusion, which combined knitting, crochet, quilting, and embellishment. Since 2016, on-going projects of Suzann’s include Celebrate Doilies, a growing collection of her doily-inspired art quilts; and Texas Crochet Heritage, a collection of stories and photos of needlework made in families from her community and beyond, now available as a traveling panel exhibit. She and her husband live in rural Texas in a compressed earth block house with their dogs, and many books. Their two grown daughters knit and crochet as well.

Find Suzann’s curriculum vitae here.

Artist’s Statement

My work captures a dream of home, a glimpse of nature, a moment in everyday life. Inspired by enchanting children’s book illustrations of my childhood, I strive for a colorful simplicity and dreamlike complexity, which hints at a rich and active collective unconscious. I work in media associated with home and homemaking—yarn, fabric, buttons, knitting, crochet, and stitching.  These are all useful and practical, as well as ethereal and whimsical, and deeply interwoven in our experience of home and family. My practice has grown to include community involvement, tapping into the memory and culture of handmade textiles in local families. Their stories are often displayed alongside my work.

  Click here for my Artist’s Resume.