ARTIST STATEMENT

Suzanne Krill, born in Erie, Pennsylvania, attended Edinboro University where she graduated with a B.S. in Art Education. After marrying, she lived in Buffalo, New York. There she earned a M.S. in Art Education with a concentration in printmaking at State University College at Buffalo, while tending to two young daughters. Fierce Buffalo winters led the family south to a new life in Raleigh, North Carolina. It was here that Suzanne taught art in elementary school while maintaining a creative life after classes. She bought a printing press and used the garage as a studio. An exploration in clay led to an award from the United Arts Council of Raleigh and the NC Arts Council to use printmaking techniques on clay. A flirtation with rake fired beads led to jewelry making. Suzanne’s fabricated jewelry uses printmaking techniques on metal, such as etching, along with enameling and heat coloration. I want my jewelry to remind one of the microscopic organisms that make life possible. Protozoa. Bacteria. Microbes. Plankton. Zooplankton. Diatoms. Ernst Haeckel, German biologist and artist, made greatly detailed drawings of these minute creatures – an inspiration.

I want my jewelry to remind one of the incredible shapes, textures, and patterns in nature. Lichen. Seedpods. Fish. Shells. Coral. Leaves. Feathers. – Inspiration. My fabricated pieces are of silver and copper. I begin with altering the metal’s surface – etching, embossing textures, piercing, and sawing the desired shape. Interesting surfaces, as well as color, also emerge through experimentation with enameling and heat or chemical coloring processes. I begin with a plan, but seem to diverge for any number of reasons, adapting to suit the final expression of the idea. Usually every piece (mostly necklaces and earrings) is one of a kind. Sometimes I just have some fun using found objects and unusual materials.