Suzanne From DreamGallery

In this Featured Crafter, we talk to Suzanne from the DreamGallery. Read on to learn about how Suzanne went from fashion design to painting with some writing in between!

Tell me a little bit about yourself.
I live in a remote part of Canada in a little town nestled in the mountains, with one road in and one road out. I live in a small house with my husband (the rock star) and our cat, Liam. We have a vegetable garden in the yard that we dug and planted just this year. Our house is full of books and music and paintings. There’s always something going on. And no matter how I try to keep things tidy, the contents of my little studio always spill out into various parts of the house. But it’s quiet here, perfect for painting, and that’s what I do whenever I can.

Where can we find you? (website, shows, etc.)
Online I can been found at my Etsy shop www.DreamGallery.etsy.com or my blog www.GalleryofDreams.blogspot.com.

Currently, I have eight paintings in ArtWalk 2009 at the Whitehouse Backpacker Lodge on Vernon St. in Nelson, B.C., Canada, until August 6. And I have a show called ‘Awake and Dreaming’ at the Bluebelle Bistro & Beanery in downtown Kaslo, B.C., Canada, starting July 15 and running to September 1. This show features 15 to 20 new pieces.

As for brick and mortar stores, Pack Rat Annie’s in Nelson, and Figments in Kaslo regularly carry many of my art cards.

What first got you interested in your art?
As a child I used to make Christmas cards for my family. Art was always my favorite class. In college, I studied fashion design. But after working in the industry for a few years, I realized it wasn’t for me. I was not interested in physically constructing garments and producing a line. I just wanted to sit and draw. But drawing for a living wasn’t an option. My sister Dale was the artist, the painter, the one who went to art college and studied in Florence. So I became a writer. Or so I thought, until one day I found my way into a box of paints and words lost all meaning.

Now my sister Sandra is the writer. And we are all the better for it.

But seriously, I think the desire to paint is something that’s always been in me, I just wasn’t ready until this time in my life to bring it to fruition. My passion for colour had been growing for a number of years, and one day I just had to try it.

Please describe your creative process (how, when, materials, etc).
A painting for me usually starts with a vision. I rarely paint from photographs. It’s usually more fun to try and create on canvas what I see in my mind. Next I pick up different sizes of canvases, trying to imagine what this vision would look like when it’s done, how large, square, or oblong. Then I choose music. Music is key for me in creating the right mood. (Once I tried to paint something while listening to War Pigs by Black Sabbath and it turned out just awful.) Then I decide on colours and brushes, shapes and sizes, and begin, and hope for the best.

Apart from creating things, what do you do?
When I’m not painting, I like to putter around the garden. Growing things is a new thing for me, so seeing my zucchini plants start to flower or my first green tomato is quite exciting. I also like to cook. Living in a remote part of Canada, it’s difficult to find foreign cuisine like you can in most of the cities across Canada. So, I taught myself how to prepare a few authentic Indian and Thai dishes. Other than that, I like to watch a good movie now and then, and get out into the woods whenever possible..

Is there anything else you’d like to share?
I would just like to thank Dawn of Free Craft Fair for giving me this opportunity, and to thank everyone who has purchased original art for supporting independent artists.

Cheers!