One of the things about Etsy I like (and there are a lot of great things I like about Etsy) is the favorites feature; not only can I keep track of the fabulous products I drool over and covet almost jealously, but I can find my favourite artists and artisans with the click of the mouse. In addition I can also check out some of the artists and artisans who also like me. This is how I found Susarto, this weeks featured artist.Susarto also goes by the name SusanMoloney. She calls herself a painter, a weirdo maker and a thing creator and there could be no better way to describe her or her shop; full of lush paintings, prints of her original paintings, the most adorable plush creatures, which she calls the Weirdo's and an assortment of photographs, magnets and bookmarks as well as the most amazing hand bound zines about life in Ireland through the eyes of an American. Browsing Susarto's shops and blog is an exercise in inspiration.
Susarto belongs to the Etsy Plush Team and the IrishRougeArtisans on Etsy, she has exhibited in local galleries and has work included in a number of private art collections in the US, Ireland and England. In addition to Etsy and her blog (which features some of the most amazing art), you can find Susan on Flickr and twitter. I was very interested to see how Susarto would answer my questions and I was not disappointed:
What got you started?
i have no idea what started me...i know that i would draw and draw since i could hold a pencil (or crayon). i always said i wanted to be an artist as a kid. always.
my dad was a "commercial artist" (that's what they called graphic design back then i suppose) but i didn't know what that meant. i thought he was like picasso or something.
i would give him a paper and pencil and say "draw."
i wanted to see how to draw things.
he did, a little reluctantly, but he really wasn't bad ;)
Do you listen to music when you create? What's on your play list right now and why?
i always listen to music when i work.
my very favourite singer is chris cornell...so i have a lot of him on my playlist, soundgarden, audioslave...
but i love tom waits. he's very inspiring to work with.
stevie wonder, jane's addiction, massive attack, tool, and on rainy days, i like to listen to billie holiday :)
why would be a tough question...music sets the mood for art i guess. and paintings seem to look like the songs.
i listened to tom waits mostly when i made my train paintings. they are sort of tom-ish i think :)
What is your ultimate creator’s block cure?
go out!
look at stuff.
notice what you notice, and all of that...
i love going to the mutter museum in philadelphia (and old medical museum) and/or taking little adventure walks by the canal up by new hope, pa. my husband has a motorbike and we go on little trips through beautiful back roads. stuff like that.
if you can't get out, look at stuff on the internet. you can see most of the world that way ;)
What life or art lesson have you learned that has shaped your work?
i think life just shapes your work whether you like it or not. but i recently have learned to just go with what feels natural to me.
i used to think i had to be able to be really good at oil painting...otherwise i wouldn't really be a "painter", but i don't always want to do that. so now i do what i feel the need to do. i'm much happier that way, and i get better results.
Rock, Paper or Scissors?
whenever possible, i'll take all.
if i can only pick one, paper.
you can make almost anything out of paper.
even rocks or scissors.
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