The story of Susanne

Susanne was born in London in 1957. From a very early age her drawings were notably characterised by intricate weaving of symmetrical lines and shapes, demonstrating an inborn sense that a harmonious balance could be visually achieved through geometrical art. Until the age of 22, she also inhabited the life of a ballet dancer but remained passionately devoted to both art forms. She often produced pastel works of dancers inspired by her love of line through lyrical body movement. Her drawing explorations were duly noted and she was the recipient of numerous art awards including botanical illustrations and most recently her prize winning fan design to commemorate 400 years of trade cultural relations between Japan and the UK.

In 1978, Susanne met the love of her life Akihisa Yukawa “Aki”, a distinguished Japanese banker with an avid love of the Arts and he became a crucial force of her inspiration. This led to her relocation to Japan in 1981 where they made home together and her immersion in Eastern aesthetics was born. She studied Japanese Arts such as SUMI-E 墨絵風 (watercolour painting), shodo 書道 (calligraphy) and kanji (the Japanese writing system), which opened up aesthetic sensibilities and sparked a new dimension to her work. In 1985, Susanne experienced her greatest loss, Aki was tragically killed in the Japan Airlines 123 Boeing 747 crash along with 519 other victims. Stll today the worst single air disaster in aviation history. Incredibly some three decades later history is being asked to re-examine the failings of the original report and verify what really happened.