We were lucky to catch up with Suzanne Horner recently and have shared our conversation below.

Suzanne, appreciate you joining us today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

My career has been in art education – primarily teaching high school art classes. Retiring in 2023 opened up the opportunity to focus on my art, but the spark to work toward that goal began in 2020. I had been producing work for annual art shows with friends and local art benefits prior to 2020. It was enough to give me an outlet through my art versus juggling a teaching career and trying to produce work ( and feel ing successful about it). When I sat at home with online school and isolation, I began making ceramic work with the intention of selling in person and online. That same year, I began selling my paintings and larger clay structures through a gallery. The pandemic created a forcus shift for many artist and makers, especially with the tools of online media ans commerce.
I had 3 years of teaching left before I could retire. I was in no way jumping the educational ship after 2020 with only 3 years left. Plus, teaching was still such an enjoyment for me regardless of how 2020 affected the education system and our students. I kept making stuff, painting, and exploring venues to sell my work. Now that I’ve left one profession to pursue another, I’m still learning how to “be an artist” full time.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I am an art educator/artist who lives and works in San Angelo, Texas. Although a native Texan, my heart has always been captivated by the images and colors of New Mexico. Many of my summers were spent in northeast New Mexico, where I was exposed to the artists and artisans of that area. My interest in architecture was also nurtured through exposure of southwest structures and mission churches. It is a common theme in my work and I have yet to exhaust my fascination with the subject. My 2D work embodies layers of acrylic color, textures, and expressive marks made with various materials. My paintings take on a color palette dictated by paint layers applied to a blank canvas and often deviate from norms – a structure may be red or turquoise, based on what colors go down first.
My works in CLAY are interpretive reproductions of the mission churches I love. I often think of them as ceramic architecture based on design and construction. Fun and functional ceramic pieces also are part of my body of work, which allows me to explore surface textures and apply bright colors (similar to my painting style).

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

After a career in teaching, I am now the captain of my ship. It’s exciting and terrifying at the same time. Having worked toward a goal of being able to focus full-time as an artist, I truly appreciate my talents and abilities as an artist. I have always been confident in my work. That is still true, even when I don’t get accepted into a show or event. Art is subjective and I am not on a mission to adjust my style to meet anyone someone else’s vision. I am true to myself and content! I wish that for any artist, especially if they question their work based on outcomes. My best advice for others is this: Comparison is the thief of joy. Be true to yourself and your direction.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

My goal is to find balance and self-discipline in my artmaking. It has been a struggle transitioning from teaching full-time, to having my own time to manage. I’m learning. I’m a procrastinator at heart and need deadlines to motivate me to create work. Often that takes the joy out of the process. On one hand, I have a consistent following with my ceramic work and am fortunate to prosper from that success. My painting persona is where I stretch my artist muscles. When I paint I improve my focus and process to create better work. It has been a struggle to allot time to two different modes of creativity. I trust that I am a work in progress and believe the balance will come.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.suzhornerceramics.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/suzhornerart/
• Other:

Image Credits

Kylie Phillips Photography (bio picture)