ABOUT SUZI
My art is in private and institutional collections. I'm a self-taught artist with a Bachelor's degree in civil engineering from Duke University and a Masters in Architecture from The University of Texas at Austin. I am a registered Architect in Maryland, and formerly Senior Architect for the Johns Hopkins Health System, and Capital Planner for Johns Hopkins University.
I am constantly creating. My latest work focuses on acrylic paint and stretched canvas, but I've spent many hours painting all sorts of things..... cars, mailboxes, doors, chairs.... I paint all polka dots freehand. Well, I paint everything freehand. I've noticed not using dropcloths bothers many people.
I do commissioned work for both paintings and collages.
ABOUT THE PAINTINGS
All paintings are acrylic paint on 1-1/2" deep canvas stetchers. I paint the edges continuous with the front, so no framing is needed. A few are framed in hardwood floating frames. All paintings are UV-varnished and ready to hang with hardware (wire and eyes) attached. One person can handle a 48"x48" painting without too much trouble. They don't weigh much. Unless they're framed, then they weigh as much as a smallish to mid sized dog and you'll need help, especially if you have a rotator cuff situation or a small wingspan.
Here's a lifesize (!) print of Reminiscence 1 in a hospital inpatient unit workroom, with chairs in tragic disarray. Note the instant liveliness it imparts to an otherwise dreadfully beige room.
ABOUT THE PHOTOS
I've shown my photography for many years and my work was in the Texas Governor's Traveling Exhibition. I've had images in 8 Johns Hopkins Federal Credit Union calendars and my photo of a Baltimore County farm is on the cover of the 2020 calendar.
IT'S ABOUT YOUR COLLAGES...
I'm sure the average psychiatrist would have a field day with my collages. Suffice it to say I watched a lot of Monte Python as a child and I don't find distinctions between reality and imagination all that useful when it comes to art. Except the "how do you hang it part," when gravity really kicks in.
ABOUT PRINTS
I sell prints of my artwork. I did a lot of research to get them right. They are printed in archival ink either directly on a polymer rigid 1/4" to 1/2" thick board or on vinyl, which is then applied to the board. (prices are ~$200-$400 for "poster size+" images) So sorry, they're not very environmentally sound, but if we get into an armageddon scenario, you can make an extremely stylish waterproof tiny home out of them. Your choice to put the art on the inside or the outside.
The boards hang with cleats on the back, so you never have to adjust them since they can't be knocked askew, and the art keeps a close profile to the wall, which is critical in public installations. The prints are cleanable and don't have the dust clinging in the crevasses problem.
Prints of the collages are perfect for heathcare waiting rooms! They're also a great distraction for guests in lobbies. Prints on other materials are available as well. Please contact me.
ABOUT EVERYTHING ELSE
When I plan an exhibit, I use autocad to do a scale drawing of the space, then I photoshop in little paintings. I don't miss doing pencil renderings, but I like knowing that I can if I want to. The entire drawing below was done with one pencil lead. As I recall, it took forever.
Here's some maggots I designed and sewed. Yes. You read that right. Note how cute they are - smiling and laughing. The striped ones get along with the solid ones, maybe because they are all in stylish moire taffeta.
I carved a 7' femur out of styrofoam. Let me know if you know of a stegosaurus in need of a hip replacement. It has a steel rod in it for stability.
I am fascinated with transforming the 2D into 3D. I once designed and sewed 40 zafu cushions for an acupuncture school....and I've also sewn over 1200 pillows with zippers for a furniture store...including pyramids and cubes that I designed and prototyped. The cushion in the photo is from vintage upholstery fabric with silk dupioni sides and filled with organic buckwheat hulls.
Other things I've sewed include a 5' chili pepper, 3' tapeworms (yes), a 6' racing mid-squid (it wasn't giant and it had a racing stripe), and a bunch of clothes. I made a buttondown oxford-style shirt when I was about 8 years old. It was kelly green with green buttons and had plackets at the cuffs. Really. I should post a pic of that here.
Here I'm just showing off my ability to paint polka dots freehand on curved surfaces, which now that I think of it, has a strange parallel to drawing a cone creating a shadow on a curved surface, which is so tedious... But I'd rather like to think it's all quite meditative.
The bird house that looks like the Santa Claus story mushroom with the red roof there has been freakishly successful in a multi-season beta test with too many baby birds born in it to count.
Here's a sculpture I made with linked concrete. The concrete is poured into molds....then there's this alchemical moment and it magically links together....
SELECTED EXHIBITIONS (2017 - current)
Monument | Sotheby's International Realty, Severna Park, Maryland, solo show
Lowe House of Delegates, 2020 Session, Annapolis, Maryland, juried
Hoffberger Gallery, Baltimore, solo show
Historic Ellicott City Show House, Ellicott City, Maryland, selection committee
Art on Mulligan Mountain, Ellicott City, Maryland, invited artist
Millrace Gallery, Clipper Mill, Baltimore, solo show
Art on Paper, Circle Gallery, Annapolis, Maryland, juried
American Insitute of Architects, Baltimore, solo show
Lowe House of Delegates, 2019 Session, Annapolis, Maryland, juried, Winner of Juror's Choice Award
Strokes of Genius, Circle Gallery, Annapolis, Maryland, juried
Baltimore Symphony Decorators' Show House, selection committee
Joseph and Rebecca Meyerhoff Gallery, Owings Mills, Maryland, selection committee
SELECTED EXHIBITIONS, AUSTIN, TEXAS (1997-2007):
Austin Children's Museum Dell Discovery Center, curated/selection committee
Umlauf Sculpture Garden and Museum benefit auction, curated/selection committee
7, Gallery Lombardi, juried
Vive Les Arts Theatre (Kileen, Texas), solo show
Texas Photographic Society 8th Annual Governor's Traveling Exhibition (including Contemporary Arts Gallery, Abilene and Photographic Archives Lab and Gallery, Dallas), juried
Austin Artisans, solo show
Exhibit K - Coming of Age, Austin Visual Arts Association, curated
Barnes and Noble Aboretum, solo show
Manuel's Congress Avenue, solo show
Galerie Bleux, gallery show
Artplex Studio Show, curated
Pecan Street Festival, curated/selection committee
INSTITUTIONAL COLLECTIONS, on display: