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A Little About Me...

Who I am

My name is Sue Clark.

In 1998, I quit the corporate world to spend more time with my family. Staying at home was tough for me. I really needed some sort of work. The answer came when I took a 2-day watercolor seminar. I found a great escape and a fantastic art instructor that encouraged me to take it a bit further.

For the next 3 years, I put my heart and soul into studying art and fine craftsmanship. I did my formal studies in Industrial Design, where I learned to be proficient at maquettes and a variety of model making technique. Although I love to draw and paint, most of my work is 3 dimensional functional art.

I began my studies thinking I would be working on sustainable design. A light metals course changed my direction slightly. I fell in love with metals and functional art. I started out in 2003 designing and making copper, glass and mica lamps. I have since returned to sustainable design, sort of, by incorporating recycled materials into my pieces. I now consider myself a recycled artist as well as a functional artist.

I make my home in beautiful rural Oregon where I live with my husband, 2 daughters and 2 cats.

You can view a gallery of our items on our web site, A Perpetual Plum Design, Inc., or at my EBSQ Art gallery .

Why I Created This Site

I want to support the local economy, so I have a section of the web site dedicated to my beloved Oregon; however, my main objective is providing free project ideas and resources for others. Why? It seems like such an easy question, but the answer is multifaceted.

When I first started out working art/craft shows. I looked at the offerings and listened to the shoppers. Here's a few of my observations.

Often I would hear shoppers say turning to their companion, "Look at that. Isn't that clever? I could take that old <you fill in the blank> and make one of these." Normally this irritates the heck out of sellers, especially when they spent months working out the kinks. The reality is most people really aren't going to copy a design and if they do, most will not mass produce and sell it. Many will be unable to reproduce an item of the same quality. Regardless, I think it's great to encourage the reuse of material to make a recycled piece of art.

I saw the same things over and over again. The competition was tough, because everyone was either reselling the same products manufactured outside the U.S. or they were all making the same sort of thing.

Art/Craft Vendors can be divided into 3 categories, those that invent, those that reinvent, and those that like to follow directions (some say copy). Don't scorn the ones that find something they like and make it there life's work. That doesn't necessarily mean they break copyright laws. They can become wonderfully skilled (and successful).

I'm an inventor and re-inventor. I have more ideas than I have time. I enjoy the puzzle and I don't mind sharing my experiences with others. It often takes me months and many mistakes to get to the end product. When I'm done, I may create a limited number, then move on.

This site offers many free project ideas.

Here's a video with some of my recycled/repurposed work.