Susie Kinzig - An Artist Reinventing Herself

Everything we see can be abstracted to a shape, a line, or a dot," says Susie Kinzig, jewelry artist from San Francisco. After a career in graphic design she turned back to her love for making jewelry from metals in combination with polymer clay and finds herself forever intrigued by the endless combination of these elements and their relationship to one another.

Hello Susie! In your opinion, are people born artists or do they become artists through education and practice?

I think both are true. I have known people when I was a child that were amazing artists and could draw and paint with incredible skill at a very young age. However, like myself, many artists need to work at it and train themselves to see the world with their own expression and artistic interpretations developed over time. You need to have the desire to experiment and think outside the box.

When did you first realize you wanted to be an artist?

When I was in second grade I had a neighbor who was a painter and I would spend countless hours watching her paint. Then she decided to give classes to the children in the neighborhood. I was hooked and always took any art classes available. When I was getting ready to go to college, I was torn between art and science. I won a national competition for one of my paintings, resulting in a $100 scholarship. Against my parents' recommendations It was all I needed to give me the confidence to study art and graduate in graphic design. When I studied design, there were no computers and we studied design on a nuclear level, spending months looking at colors and how to make them vibrate or saturate. It was a great foundation for all design, only the medium that changed.

How would you describe your style and how has it evolved in the course of your career?

I have a very graphic style. I look at everything in terms of shapes, color and texture and how they relate and work off of each other. My style remains very personal and changes with the times as I do. I started off with a love of African art and my style was bold with lots of contrast and sharp edges. I worked with laminates and cold connections almost primitively. As I taught myself more jewelry making skills my vocabulary grew and my style became more sophisticated, colors became softer and pieces became more dimensional.

It seems that your art is strongly inspired by nature. What else inspires you and sparks your creativity?

I am very inspired by the symmetry and asymmetry of nature as well as the shapes which seem so random yet so perfect. Inspiration can come from anywhere, from a child drawing to random shapes that are arbitrarily next to each other. Then taking that and bringing it to life in the scale and structure that reinterpret it.

There is also the influence of fashion. I always make something I would wear myself so as my fashion choices change so does the jewelry I create. I think it is crucial to keep changing and reinventing yourself.

You design both lamps and jewelry. Is there any difference in the creative process between these two?

For me, lamps are just jewelry for the home. I look at them both as small sculptures with shape, form, balance and color with simple parameters. One to be worn and the other to illuminate. Working on lamps gives me the freedom to work on a larger scale yet still small enough that I can have control over it.

Your portfolio involves many different materials. Do you have a favorite? And is there a medium you haven't worked with yet but you'd like to try?

I have always let design be the driving force. Once I have a design in mind I let the material and the process follow. If I can visualize it, then I can teach myself the skills I need to make it come to life and be open to what materials will enhance it. I do not have a favorite but I really enjoy combining different materials that are not normally used together to make something unique. I have worked with polymer, concrete, wood, bone, glass, leather, silver, gold, copper, brass, gemstones, river rocks and would like to continue experimenting with those combinations as well as finding other materials that would compliment them.

How did you start working with polymer clay and what do you appreciate about it?

I first started using concrete, then quickly realized how temperamental it was and unforgiving. I then tried resin but didn't like the glossy finish and quickly found polymer clay and along with it the infinite palette of colors you could achieve by mixing them together. I could use my skills as a jeweler to create the structure in silver and bring it to life with the color of the clay. It is a truly amazing product. I can work with it to create creatures with children as well as a sophisticated piece of jewelry, both as valuable.

Your beautiful lamps are designed in collaboration with your sister, Caryn. How is it to work so closely with a sibling? Tell our readers a bit more about the joint creative process.

She is actually my sister-in-law. She is married to my brother.

Collaborating with anyone always has its challenges as well as its benefits. It is nice to have someone to work through the process and bounce ideas off of, as well as share in both the hard work and the rewards. We don't always agree but the end result is usually better for it. We are family and that always remains a priority to both of us.

We are also on opposite coasts. This can definitely create some logistical problems. However, we have clearly defined roles and it stops us from micromanaging each other. We design together but in the end Caryn is responsible for the production of the shades and I am responsible for the production of the bases. Generally, I start the design process by creating a jewelry scale structure for the shape of the unique shade. I send it to Caryn who scales it up to size then puts a fabric on it. We are always on the hunt for interesting fabrics that inspire us and set the tone for the final design. Once we have the shade I design the base, combining the techniques from jewelry making such as the patinas, along with the glass color and shape to compliment it.

What is the best and worst thing about being a professional artist?

If you love your job, then it isn't work. The act of taking an idea and bringing it to life in a three-dimensional form is truly satisfying and gives me great joy. I also appreciate that I can create my own schedule and have the opportunity to enjoy a beautiful day while working late at night when I feel most creative. The most difficult part about being a professional artist is that it always comes with a bit of financial insecurity. I create what I love without compromise and hope that someone else feels the same and sees the value. It takes time but eventually you feel confident that it will all work out.

You have been a professional artist for over 30 years. How has the market changed over that time?

The market has changed so much. When I first started out, there was a real craft movement in which you could find all kinds of independent galleries and high end craft stores everywhere and people understood and appreciated the craftsmanship that went into it. Many of these have closed and been replaced by chain stores. Select craft fairs where you would see many creative and emerging artists have not translated to the next generation. The internet has risen as the predominant method of sales which is incredibly valuable because you can reach your customers directly, however it is extremely difficult to be heard through all the noise. It is a constant balancing act to find ways to get your work into the hands of those who appreciate it.

What advice would you give to your younger self?

Make what you love and then figure out how to improve it. Express yourself then do it again in a different way. Don't be afraid to take chances but go into it with eyes wide open.

Is there anyone whose work you admire?

Alexander Calder, Dale Chihuly, Julie and Ken Girardini, (jeweler) So Young Park, Ford/Forlano, Petra Class, Barbara Heinrich, Lynda Bahr and David Urso.

What is your biggest creative aspiration at the moment?

My biggest aspiration is to create a new line of work with new materials, new look and recreate myself. To be determined.