We had the great opportunity to talk to the Denver based artist, Susan Meyer, one of the most significant artists from the west of the United States.

NKR. Susan Meyer, how would you describe yourself?
SM. I’m an artist. I teach. I like to cook and spend time with my boyfriend, Jeff Starr, and his son.
NKR. Who or what were the biggest influences on your childhood?
SM. I grew up in Utica, a small, ethnically diverse city in upstate New York. The Adirondacks were nearby. I went to Catholic schools. There was a good small museum, Munson Williams Proctor Art Institute, where I took art classes. Growing up in Utica influenced me. Also, I lived in Tokyo for a few years and traveled around a bit in Asia. That was an influence.
NKR. When did you realise what you wanted to do is art?
SM. Oh, I always had it in my mind. I remember wanting to be a spy, or an interpreter for the UN, or a painter in Paris, or a photo-journalist for National Geographic… My dad found out about the spy job for me – sounded pretty dull in actuality, I’m terrible at languages… wound up as an artist.
NKR. Could you tell us some more about your installations, when did this passion for mixed media start?
SM. I’ve always liked experimenting with materials. When I moved to Tokyo I was working on small, mixed media boxes. Living in tiny spaces gave me the urge to enlarge the scale of the work.
NKR. Have you ever suffered any kind of discrimination for being a woman artist? What do you think about the Guerrilla Girls' project?
SM. I think the Guerilla Girls are great. I like the combination of political action and humor. Also, they have been effective. Things have improved. I try to make the best work possible and get it shown. That’s my way of dealing with discrimination.