We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Suzanne Kubach. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Suzanne below.

Alright, Suzanne thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

Asking if one of my paintings is more meaningful than others is a little like asking a mom which kid is her favorite. Each of my pictures tells a story, and when a collector connects with that, they often want to bring that painting home. However, when a collector reaches out to commission a piece, they bring their own meaning to the project. That collaboration sets my commissioned paintings apart.

With commissions, a collector’s preferences might influence everything from design to color palettes to the final name of the piece. Each project is different, and the relationship I build with the collector as I work is a part of what makes commissions meaningful for me.

One of my more engaged collectors named his finished painting “The Last Bolt of Sunrise.” He’d wanted to surprise his wife with a painting of the Collegiate Mountains, capturing the view from the spot they would build their future retirement home. He engaged in my process at multiple points—great fun for both of us!

Another collector engaged me with a project so specific, I worried I wasn’t the right artist for what he described. He’d made a life changing decision while looking out on the Brooklyn Bridge from a particular place on a stormy night and wanted to capture that mood. He wanted to see how I’d render that moment. Figuring out how to render the feeling he’d described of a dark moody night made that project meaningful for me. He loved the finished piece, and his only other involvement in the creative process was naming it “The Lights Are Much Brighter There.”

Commissions make up 30% of my business revenue. They aren’t every artist’s jam because while a collector often weighs in on the process, they aren’t obligated to buy the finished piece. There’s risks in that arrangement on both sides. Therefore, when I agree to a commission, I now take a non-refundable downpayment for my time and materials. That way, we share the risks and adventure. So far, I’ve only had happy collectors who’ve welcomed those commissioned pieces into their homes.

Suzanne, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

The designs in my paintings emerge from my soul and intuition—my sense of wonder. My most recent works bring to a collector’s home the same dynamic flow found in nature—such as in wood grains, veins through natural stone, or patterns on the floor of a creek bed when the water ebbs. Other pieces convey an evocative sense of place, perhaps in the vibe of an old stone wall, a quiet clearing in a forest, or a horizon line drifting in the waves.

I paint primarily in acrylic with contributions from other media, such as charcoal pencil, collage, or oil pastels. My designs build in multiple layers, creating rich textures and understory. Painting on birch panels enables me to sand, scratch or scrub layers back to reveal a history of texture and color. I begin with a sense of play, mindful of marks that most delight me, then I follow that trail. (Often, happy accidents lead the way.) A piece nears completion when a story starts to emerge—some metaphor, memory, or mood. At that point, I stand back with more discernment to examine principles of design.

I began my painting practice early in 2022. I’m lucky in that I can spend some time most days in my studio. I’ve always had creative pursuits, including photography, interior design, gardening, and stained-glass window design. I’m “self-taught” in that I hold no formal degree in art, though I’ve benefited mightily from workshops and feedback from other artists, particularly from artists all over the world through the Art2Life Academy, of which I’ve been a member since midyear 2022. Since that time, I’ve released over 160 works for sale. More than half have found homes with collectors.

I am also a writer, so the titles of my paintings suggesting stories that I share on Social Media. Follow me there if you appreciate a good yarn.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

I established my online following long before I started painting, so my first decision when I decided to share my artwork was whether I needed a new online presence, or if I could transition my existing social media accounts. I opted for the latter, for two reasons. Though my following was relatively small (~350), that group included professionals outside the art sector who were personally connected to me. And since I’d disciplined my Instagram account solely to sharing my photography, I felt confident I wouldn’t lose many followers if I shifted my focus to artwork.

I began by introducing works of art intermittently with photos. My initial aim was simply to build a history of art in my feed. I anticipated there’d be some future date when I’d launch a more seriously branded business with art for sale, but didn’t have a target in mind.

Another important ingredient in my approach includes posting stories with my work. In this reel-driven media world, that’s not likely an essential component for most. But I enjoy writing, so that energy comes through in what I share. And since my early following included so many personal friends, they seemed willing to give a post a quick read. Many have since told me that those stories were an important factor connecting them to my paintings.

After a few months of posting mostly artwork, a friend sent the most complimentary email. It said, “I don’t know much about art, but I do know everything you share makes me happy. Are you selling your paintings—can I buy one?”

Once I sold my first piece, I posted a photo of it with a “sold” label, and that post served as a subtle announcement that I was open for business. I’ve since learned that some artists have strong views about sharing “sold” stories. They see it as bragging. But for me, Instagram is really my main gallery, and those “sold” posts are my red-dots.

My next big announcement came when I shared details for an open studio event in my home. Since most of my online followers weren’t in my hometown, I used Instagram to share sneak peaks ahead of the show. That engaged interest from out of town collectors, and I started that show with several red dots.

I settled on a brand a few months later, informed by feedback from collectors who attended my open house. Once again, I shared that design and the thinking behind it with my followers.

In all, I’d call my social media “launch” as soft as it gets. I think the reason that’s worked for me is that through my stories, I’ve invited my followers “under the hood” in every step of my growth. Since selling that first painting, more than half of the paintings I’ve made available for sale have found homes. And half of my sales go out by mail, which speaks to the importance of social media in showcasing my art.

Can you share one of your favorite marketing or sales stories?

My earliest commissioned projects came from people with whom I had a strong relationships, so I didn’t request down payments when starting their commissioned work.

However, in a more recent project–and to date, my largest–a collector I didn’t know reached out after she saw a large body of my work on view in an exhibition. She was in the midst of a whole-house remodel, and envisioned two large, 3’x 4’ paintings in the recessed spaces on either side of her central fireplace. Since she’d seem so much of my work, I was confident I could create something she’d like.

Because I wasn’t in the habit of negotiating down payments, I didn’t ask for one from her either. However, as soon as I bought paints and wood panels for these large paintings, I worried I’d taken too big of a risk.

Commissions require multiple conversations, and lots of listening, to learn what the collector wants. Each of those exchanges helped me get to know her. And each gave me an opportunity to build the collector’s investment in my final work. That felt especially important on this large undertaking, because at that point, I held all the financial risk.

While she knew the impact she wanted for her home, she didn’t start with a strong design idea to guide the paintings. To get us started, I asked her favorite color. “Purple,” she said, laughing, “Though that won’t help us here.”

I said, “Let’s not rule it out just yet. Every color has a range of possible hues.”

Even though her home was under heavy construction, visiting here there gave me a lot of insight about the scale of her space. I brought some examples of my work to consider, choosing a few samples that included purple as a supporting color. She liked one in particular, and we thought that would be our guide.

I mixed a range of colors for her approval, then invited her to visit my studio. In addition to approving the color palette, I also wanted her to react to the marks and textures she particularly liked in other samples of my paintings. She also brought to that meeting recently selected fabric samples for some of her furnishings, as well as her final choices of wall colors to harmonize the final palette.

We thought everything was settled, then as she turned to leave, her eyes landed on “Wishes for the Fountain,” a painting hanging near my door. She said, “Oh, now I could look at this for a very long time.”

With that, I knew we found the right muse for the design of her paintings.

As I worked, I’d reach out with more question that probably seemed odd to her, like asking what music listened to. She was a country fan, so when I painted, I usually listed to country music too.

We’d agreed she would have one more chance to see work in progress once I’d laid out the basic structure of the pieces. When she returned to the studio, and in a gesture of pure integrity, she asked, “Shouldn’t I be paying you something at this point?”

We agreed to a percentage of the final price I’d quoted her, covering my initial investment in materials. I’ve now adopted this downpayment split as my new business practice for commissions.

With commissions I believe will be broadly appealing, I’ll often create more than one option for the collector to choose from. Here, since she wanted two, I made three pieces. We named them Palomino One, Two and Three. She loved them all, and only reluctantly let Palomino Two go. It’s now available in my website gallery.

When I brought her finished paintings to her newly remodeled home, they complimented her decor, including the leather, wood, and iron elements in her furnishings, beautifully. I knew I met the assignment! Oh, and about that purple? If you look closely, it’s in there, mingled in with the clays, golds, grays and creamy yellows that most define Palomino’s story.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://suzannekubach.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/suztachart/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SuzTachArt/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/suzanne-kubach-3063117/

Image Credits

All images of artwork taken by the artist.

Images of me were all taken by Tracy McGuire Photography.