Today we’d like to introduce you to Suzie Collins.
Suzie, please kick things off for us by telling us about yourself and your journey so far.
My journey to becoming an artist and owning a business has been a bit of a unique journey. I started painting at the age of three and was always drawn to creating artwork with any materials or tools I could get my hands on. As I got older the materials were from my dad’s workshop and including things like resin, wood stains, wood glue, joint compound, etc. This type of process and the materials used are very much a part of my work today.
After receiving a Bachelors of Fine Art from UT in Austin, I used my mixed media knowledge and created props for the movie Elvis and Anabelle which then resulted in working as on-set production assistant for Quentin Tarantino. When the beginning of the rescission hit, I moved back to Dallas for a more permanent job and began working in advertising. I continued to paint but it was sparingly as different aspects of my life grew, my career, getting married and having children. This all changed a little over three years ago when something just snapped, I was beyond stressed out and nothing seemed to relieve that feeling so I started to sketch. That sketch led to painting and that painting led to relief, a filter I can’t explain. Being able to leave it all on the canvas became my haven. If you have ever heard of “flow” that’s what happens, my mind shuts down everything else except for painting – a “soul” focus on the energy between myself, the paint and the challenge. As I filtered emotions, I began to produce more paintings, more orders then came in and that’s when I started my custom art business.
Can you give our readers some background on your art?
I am a mixed media artist, through and through, I love working with multiple materials to create unique effects and I generally stay in the abstract expressionism genre. I work as a Digital Strategist and I think the way I approach art is very similar in two ways. The first is that I use the canvas as a journal, an expression or a statement of emotion, inspiration or symbolism. The second is that I make sure that each painting is a challenge, a puzzle that needs to be solved whether that is in the process, the materials, the technique or in the message that is being relayed. My paintings are my journal entries, everything is intentional and thought through down to the stroke marks.
What would you recommend to an artist new to the city, or to art, in terms of meeting and connecting with other artists and creatives?
It’s always great to join local art groups where other artist collaborate and do art shows together. As another option you can always reach out to me!
What’s the best way for someone to check out your work and provide support?
You can find my work in a couple of places, if you would like to see it in person you can email me for a studio visit or you can go to Purveyor Home in the Design District. I also have work at Cedar and Vine in Lake Highlands. The majority of my artwork are custom orders with some available pieces, you can see the breadth of my work on my site www.suziecollins.com or on Instagram @suziecollins_art and if interested in learning about custom artwork you can email me at swiftartgallery@gmail.com.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.suziecollins.com
- Phone: 214-507-4689
- Email: swiftartgallery@gmail.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/suziecollins_art
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/SwiftArtGallery
Image Credit:
Suzie Collins
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