Susan Pickering Rothamel Craft Designer

Susan Pickering Rothamel

The Business Woman

With two videos and a search for the perfect adhesive, Susan Pickering Rothamel experimented, and developed Perfect Paper Adhesive™. Shortly thereafter, USArtQuest, Inc. was formed to market ‘PPA’ and collage videos. Susan continues with research and the development of new and unusual art materials from USAQ headquarters in Grass Lake, MI. Continuing as owner and president of USArtQuest, Inc. for the last 16 years, Susan now operates as a niche, cutting-edge manufacturer and distributor of fine art and craft materials.

Susan continues to enthusiastically fill her work days with an endless variety of creative possibilities from developing and packaging original products, to writing her monthly column for Scrap & Stamp Arts magazine. Then there are workshops for and educating professionals, shooting video and TV episodes, marketing and technique development, authoring books, mentoring artists and running the day-to-day operations of a fast-paced business.

Her Company

USArtQuest manufactures quality upscale art media materials, bringing to stampers, scrapbookers, and all artisans a unique perspective on innovative art supplies, including sparkling watercolors, Mica Tiles, Shapes and Flakes, the finest adhesives, gilding materials, acrylic paint, and a plethora of studio must-haves, all with an emphasis on education.

The Artist, Instructor and Writer

“One of the greatest joys of any busy day is the ability to work alongside of my husband of 41 years, my daughter, and my wonderful staff of long-standing, surrounded by the materials used in being creative. One of the delights about relaxing is reading, writing, decorating, and playing in my beautiful gardens. The most fun about creating, is when friends and I carve time to play in the studio, trying out various products and making artwork.”

With parents, children and friends all in the arts, it is no wonder that making art also fills much of her free time. Susan has three married children and six “of the most beautiful and talented grandchildren on the planet”.

With a long family tradition of artistic expression, Susan Pickering Rothamel communicates her passion for color, texture and imagery through an expert understanding of creative techniques. Also proficient in many media, Susan explores with ease collage, assemblage, the paper arts, metalwork, enameling, and watercolor, as well as an impressive array of innovative styles.

Susan’s gallery artwork showcases elegant contemporary collage impressions using bits of paper, applied much like brushstrokes of color, producing dramatic large-scale collage paintings. On the professional flip-side, Susan moves with ease into home décor projects, greeting cardmaking, scrapbooking or designing fanciful personal accessories

A self-proclaimed pack-rat, paper aficionado, and collector of exotic ‘stuff’, it is only natural that as a career mixed media collage became Pickering Rothamel’s primary form of 'arting'. “Paper is divinely versatile, becoming whatever you want it to be. But, when all is said and done, cardmaking is where all the leftover bits and bobs come together and satisfy the urge to create – instantly!”

Susan distinguishes herself with an extensive knowledge of color theory, materials handling, archival principles, and a sophisticated style. Pickering Rothamel has taught art techniques and materials use and safety, since 1979 in both private and formal classrooms, as well as in workshops with several hundred people. Her current accomplishments include internationally distributed video workshops, lecturing and demonstrating nationally, as well as regular television appearances. She is the author of several books, The Art of Paper Collage, The Encyclopedia of Scrapbooking Tools & Techniques and The Encyclopedia of Greeting Cards Tools & Techniques, all from Lark/Sterling publishers.