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About USAQ
USArtQuest, Inc. began with 2 unique
videos and a search for the perfect adhesive. Not
satisfied with anything currently on the market,
collage artist Susan Pickering Rothamel experimented
until an adhesive was developed with all the qualities
she was looking for—UV protection, acid-free,
archival, non-sticky, non-toxic, and odor-free.
The result—Perfect Paper Adhesive™.
USArtQuest was formed to market this product and
Susan’s instructional videos on collage and
assemblage. That was in 1993.
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Since then, USArtQuest has continued researching
and developing new and unusual mixed media
art materials. The business quickly outgrew
Sue’s home studio and is now located
in a wonderful old building of offices and
warehouses, in a rural country setting in
Grass Lake, MI.
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“Along with educating our customers and
providing great customer service, quality has always
been a top priority, and the products are extensively
tested by our own artists in our own studio,”
Sue says. “In addition, safety is very important,
with the majority of our products being non-toxic.
We specialize too, in acid-free, archival products,
most of which are specifically developed to integrate
and work compatibly with all of the other products.
But, even those few that are not non-toxic or acid-free
are unique in themselves! They have proven to be
exciting, each having the complimentary attributes
that artisans look
for in fine art materials.”
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Being rural means the area
there’s nothing close by for last
minute art supplies. So, just walking in
the front door brings creative surprises,
with a hand-painted ‘welcome’
flag greeting every visitor.USAQ keeps a
well-stocked showroom for local artists
and students to shop for everything creative,
with a few surprises too!
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USArtQuest also houses a large classroom studio
where students via for art-filled dates for creative
parties, art group events and lectures, demonstrations
and spontaneous studio time.
Susan Pickering Rothamel
 Following
nearly 20 generations of artists, Sue has a passion
for exploring color. Whether through imagery and her
expert understanding of mixed-media collage, metalwork,
enameling, oil painting, watercolor, pottery and weaving,
or when developing the next paint color – or even
the paint itself, her company for USArtQuest, it’s
all about color. Born, raised and educated in Bucks
County, Pennsylvania, Sue has distinguished herself
with an extensive knowledge of color theory, materials
handling, archival principles and artistic style.
Sue’s ‘real artwork’ which is shown
in galleries and sold to collectors, primarily focuses
on Biblical themes, where she dramatically departs
from the familiar representational paintings of the
Old Master’s work and renders masterful and
elegant contemporary impressions. However, her ‘everyday
work’ has a wide range of topics and techniques.
These pieces are made for numerous magazines, books,
examples for classes, as well as dozens and dozens
of samples for teaching.
Pickering Rothamel has taught her art techniques
since 1979, in both private classes and formal classrooms,
such as Schoolcraft College. Her current accomplishments
include internationally distributed video workshops,
lecturing and demonstrating nationally, and the
writing and illustrating of an art history book
for young people. With three best-selling art books
under her belt, Sue considers writing her fourth
passion, the first being God, then family, art,
and then writing. “There are a lot of other
passions, too,” she says with enthusiasm.
That’s to be believed, as one only needs to
see her garden, taste her cooking or see her stretched
out on the front porch, nose-deep in a good novel.
Sue, along with her husband Dave, designed her
Chelsea, Michigan family home and studio which is
surrounded by 11 secluded acres of forest, meadows
of rolling hills and inspirational views. Her spacious
‘artist’s dream’ studio is a working
haven for both herself and students alike.
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