My name is Susan DiMaio and my practice has always been driven by the physical behavior of materials. Early in my studio journey, this manifested as tactile assemblage-embedded found objects, cardboard, and handmade encaustic paper into layered compositions.

Over time, the desire to integrate surface and structure led me to strip away excess elements and focus deeply on the structural potential of paper itself.

Today, my work centers on the physical transformation of paper from sheet to fabric. Starting with layers of wet Hanji paper, I repeatedly agitate and compress the material until the long mulberry fibers break down, interlock and fuse into a supple, textured textile. Once dried flat, this restructured paper is cut and sculpted over dimensional forms created by plaster coated-manipulated wire mesh.

What began as an exploration of encaustic medium, and embedded objects, has evolved into a study of fiber, surface tension, and form-where a fiber skin and the sculpture become one.