The ever-changing characteristics of the landscape of New Mexico are the inspiration for Susan Cohen’s current series of clay-painting sculptures, Frozen by Fire 2. The clay panels of the sculptures subtly reflect the dualities found in nature, and the tensions and calm inherent in it. The titles are names of rivers and mountains, desert mesas, canyons and historic cultural parks. The panels are fired in an open-pit wood-fired kiln. The inevitable variations in the firing process give each piece its unique character. The wheel-thrown pottery, both stoneware and porcelain, is fired in a gas reduction kiln. With both types of work, it is fire that captures the imagination, and also is the unifying element. The transient effects of the flame are “frozen” on the pieces, which embody the physical changes they have undergone. Susan Cohen has been a studio potter for more than forty years, and has a studio at the Torpedo Factory Art Center in Alexandria, Virginia, where she is a member of the Hollin Hills Potters. She also shows her work at Studio Gallery in Washington, DC. She has taught pottery classes for both children and adults for many years, and currently teaches adult classes at the Art League School in Alexandria. Her work has been shown in galleries across the eastern United States, and is in many private collections across the country.