I have always admired the monument of Sedona Schnebly standing at the entrance of the Sedona Public Library. The statue, a 10-foot-tall bronze, portrays Sedona walking forward with her left arm extended offering an apple from a basket while her face draws a gentle smile, as if welcoming you to her namesake, the City of Sedona. This offering gesture is symbolic of Sedona's reputation as a charming hostess. As a matter of fact, she and her husband grew apples and their home doubled as a bed & breakfast welcoming tired travelers. The statue's fine lines and contours are masterfully combined with a gracious soft motion that brings it to life. When I learned that Susan Kliewer was the artist, I wanted to meet the woman sculptor of the woman pioneer.

Susan Kliewer spends time sculpting at Mountain Trails Galleries in Tlaquepaque (www.mountaintrails.com). She invited me to join her at the art gallery for our interview. Upon my arrival, she was working on a small equestrian statue of the legendary Buffalo Bill.

Her friendly manner and cordial smile made me feel right at home. I also gained an appreciation for her in-depth knowledge and respect for the Navajo as well as the Hopi cultures, and her passion for Southwest American history in general.

Coupled with a life in the country-side and constant contact with Navajo culture, her works involve detailed research, something she has been doing for about 30 years. For this reason, her master pieces accurately reflect a traditional American historical background that she brings to life in her animated bronzes.

In addition to the statue of Sedona Schnebly, Kliewer has sculpted two life-size water fountains: one commemorates the Sinagua People and the other portrays a Hopi Water Maiden. Kliewer enjoys these monumental projects and expects to create more in the near future.

Susan Kliewer was born in Orange County, California. Her grandparents were ranchers there before it became overcrowded. Although Kliewer is a talented sculptor, her first artistic passion was painting. She began painting at the age of 10, and decided she wanted to be an artist. As an interesting note, her father, Elmer Osterman (a fire prevention coordinator for CA) was the creator of today's popular icon "Smokey the Bear" which was based on the true story of a bear stranded in a fire. It comes as no surprise then that her artistic talent runs in the family.

It was in 1968 when she and her former husband read about the town of Sedona in an article published in Arizona Highways and planned a camping trip there with their three children. They came to Sedona for the first time on Memorial Day, and immediately fell in love with the area. Kliewer and her family decided to move from California and bought Oak Creek Mobile Lodge and ran it as a mobile home for about four years.

One day a Californian neighbor proposed that she run another type of business, a trading post at Marble Canyon. It was a remote location near the Arizona-Utah border, and even though she hesitated at first, now Susan realizes it was a very important move in her life: "that was a big thing for me. I didn't want to leave Sedona that much, but I'm really glad we did, because of all the new experiences that otherwise I wouldn't have had."

During the next five years Kliewer learned how to run a restaurant, a motel, a gas station, a post office and, of course, a trading post. "It was like a little tiny kingdom. Neat place! We met all the people who went down the Canyon for white-water rafting… so we had very nice, very interesting guests all summer. There was no television or any electronic things, but lots of music and singing at night"--she remembers smiling.

In her spare time, Susan continued to paint and became quite proficient painting portraits. She was inspired by her love of and interest in Southwest cultures. In fact, her son married a Navajo girl and, ever since, her ties with the Navajos strengthened. Her Navajo friends and grandchildren have been the models for many of her bronze pieces.

After her unforgettable years at the trading post, Kliewer decided to move back to Sedona: "I wanted a more normal life for my kids. They had to go to school 40 miles each way… It was really hard for them, they had to take a one hour bus ride each way every day."

Back in Sedona, Kliewer worked as the manager of "Oaxaca Restaurant" in Uptown Sedona. But when the restaurant was sold out, the new owners managed the restaurant themselves and she worked as a waitress. She remembers it was a very tough time for her since she was going through a divorce and trying to make a living; then Kliewer applied for a job at the local foundry. Even though she was rejected at first because it was "a man's job," she persisted, and became the first woman in town to ever hold such a job: "if I wouldn't have done it, I wouldn't be sculpting today"--she asserted.