Dear Reader,

When does an artist become an artist? Is it when the young child first discovers color? Is it in school, when your teacher and classmates are drawing everything the same way, but you imagine something different in your drawing? Painter, Grandma Moses started her painting career when arthritis kept her from doing anymore embroidery – she was 78 years old. She turned her talents to the paintbrush and had a career until she died at age 101. Julia Child was 49-years-old when her first cook book was published. Luchita Hurtado just had a surge of popularity and is still a prolific painter today at age 99. When you read biographies of artists, there were moments, activities or dreams that drove the creativity throughout their life.  Did you have a dream, Reader, that came to fruition?

Some would argue that we are all artists. We each have the potential to be creative. What direction we go with that inner spark is up to us. I don’t know when we become artists. Philosopher, Ralph Waldo Emerson said, ““Every artist was first an amateur”.  Over my lifetime, I have met many creative people. I’ve seen truly amazing works of art from folks who never become known worldwide. What interested me about gifted people was not always their talent, but I loved the stories of their drive to figure out that creative spark inside them that could not be silenced. 

I enjoy viewing art books in my home. I look at them all the time. I love color, arrangements, and that ability an artist has to convey his or her subject. I am inspired seeing the path an artist takes – from their early sketches and on, toward that more refined style that identifies them as uniquely Monet, Van Gogh or Rembrandt. What inspires you?

When I first met Suzan Hatch, I recognized immediately that she was a talented woman. It was in an art class. Her use of color and the way she put her oils on the canvas fascinated me. She had a spark. I thought of Claude Monet when he said, “I had so much fire in me and so many plans.” Suzan had that fire in her. As I got to know her more closely, I was also intrigued with the path that she took to discover her art. 

 

She grew up in a small town in Wisconsin. She dabbled in drawings like many children do. “As a child, I remembered feeling frustrated that I couldn’t draw a horse,” she said. After she finished high school, she received her B.S in Psychology and her M.S in Computer Science from the University of Wisconsin in Madison. 

Then Suzan, as a computer system engineer, took a job with IBM in southern California. In 1993, the company relocated her division to Boulder. Suzan had family in Colorado, so she decided to make the move. She said of that time in her life, “I did computer work as a means to an end, but felt like I needed to discover and come back to the course for my life. At the end of the day, computer work was not expressive of who I was.”

During her IBM years, Suzan also attended Naropa University, Colorado. She was taking Master’s level classes in Transpersonal Psychology and Organizational Development. She thought she might work in the field of spiritual psychology. “I was looking for my passion,” she said, which at that point was still undefined in her mind and heart.

 

 

Suzan made a change in 1993, and moved to Montreal, Canada. There, she had her son Maxim. As a young mom, she said, “I dabbled in painting, but didn’t have instruction.” She said she felt it was “mostly a frustrating experience”. For all that, the spark was getting brighter in Suzan to figure out the artistic course of her life. Reader, was the course of your life clear? At what age? What was your path?

With her son, Max, she left Canada in the spring of 1998, and moved to Utah. She set a personal goal to take a pilgrimage to “find out who I was inside,” she said. She wanted to explore Native American art, pictograph (painted ancient writings and art forms) and petroglyphs (ancient images picked or carved on rock surfaces). 

So, in April, she and her now three-year-old son, started from Moab, Utah for a six-month pilgrimage. Suzan decided to do a self-guided tour of the local historical art. In the back of her mind she assumed, that after her six-month journey, she would return to a “profession position in computers or management”, she said. 

Did you ever watch a campfire when the flames get higher? Sparks dance and fling. I have that imagery of what it must have been like for Suzan as she allowed herself to learn from this experience. Throughout her travels, she grew in her appreciation for the mastery of weaving and beading that she saw. She was inspired by hand art and the wood carvings. Even the earth’s shapes and forms provoked creativity in her. “I had an awesome wonder and appreciation of the canyon-land and how it was carved by an ancient river’s winding cuts through the soil. It’s incredible to describe”, she said. Suzan became conscious of her relationship to the earth and her art-appreciation grew more. “I felt the connection to the spirit of the artist, the land and creativity,” she said. “What amazes you about our earth?

Her six-month pilgrimage ended when Suzan and Maxim reached Aslan, Oregon. There, she took an art class at a local bead store. She started making necklaces “and they sold”, she said. She was in her early 40s and she knew her next life-journey was going to be one where she more deeply delved into art. “I fell in love with creating with my hands,” she said. Now inspired by the process of constructing art, Suzan wrote a book about her pilgrimage. “The creative process was fun,” she said. “I decided I wanted to explore who I was as an artist”. Have you ever changed direction in your life? Was it the right choice for you? How did you know?

 

 

Suzan, as a single parent, knew she wanted to be a stay-at-home mom. She wanted to be able to volunteer and be involved in her son’s school years.  Her beading designs sold, but Suzan recognized she needed more income. So, in 1999, she moved to Sedona, Arizona. There, at the local art center, she attended a drawing class, eventually started painting, and soon she was falling in love with color and light of kiln-formed glass. She was making bowls, wall hangings and whimsical cats and dogs.  Between her income from a small family business and sales from her artwork, it allowed her to meet her goal of being a stay-at-home mom, be around for her son and work with her hands in the art field.

Still living in Arizona years later, Suzan experienced a series of changes: three of her close friends died, Suzan and Maxim’s dog and cat had to be put down, Suzan turned 60 and her son, now a young man, celebrated his 21^st-birthday. Moreover, the kiln-glass market was changing. Suzan recognized that it was time for another change in her life.  Physicist, Albert Einstein said, “True art is characterized by an irresistible urge in the creative artist.” If this is true, that urge was ignited again in Suzan. She said, “I was ready to explore a new path in my art”.

 

 

She still had family and some friends from her IBM-days living in the Boulder area, so in February 2017, Suzan moved to Longmont, Colorado. As an artist, she wanted to explore “something free-flowing and dimensional and still play with color and light”, she said. She decided to work with dimensional mosaic work.  She liked the challenge of creating pieces that were fluid and flowing. She bought a book, and now a self-taught student, Suzan began to make substrates – the base of her mosaic art. Traditionally, mosaic art is flat; Suzan wanted her pieces to be two- and three-dimensional. She also started adding metal, stone, semi-precious gems, glass and ceramics in her mosaics. Simultaneously, Suzan had also been developing her painting skill. Yet, instead of the realism that she had originally painted, she now completed abstract paintings – which stay in the lane she has chosen – of playing with flowing-fluid colorful art pieces.

 

 

Suzan lived in one of Longmont’s art districts – Prospect Newtown. She said of that time, from an artistic viewpoint, “I can look out my window and see a bright granny-Apple green building and another salmon building.  I love the unique architecture and colors of my neighborhood.  I also enjoy the small town feeling of our neighborhood restaurants and businesses”. Suzan’s studio/home had large tall windows, skylights and great indoor lighting.  

   

 

 

 

Suzan worked with mosaics for over three years. Her reputation in the art field and the sales of her mosaics continued to grow. In 2019, Suzan presented in five art shows. She was also sought out and invited to participate in a unique art exhibit called a “carlaboration”.  This was a Colorado-statewide art show and specific artists decorated or painted an old jalopy and turned it into a traveling work of art. I was amazed at the detail Suzan put in her piece – one of the doors of the car. Her work is colorful, creative and shows a flowing design.  Suzan has grown in her experience in promoting her work. She now has a website that informs fans about her new pieces and her upcoming art shows. 

 

And what of her son who started on that pilgrimage years ago with Suzan. Maxim Mascolo, now 25, is an artist in his own right. He has a B.S. in photography. I’ve seen his work and think Max has an amazing eye for lighting. He and Suzan have a great bond, both with their art and their adventurous spirits. 

 When looking at Suzan’s future in the art field, she said it is a journey of “see what develops.” She explains further: “When a left Sedona, I left behind my work as a glass artist.  I knew it was time for me to leave, and I wanted to create something new.” She was listening to what her “heart” was speaking.  She saw the move to Longmont as a new beginning, and she was open to other relocations- “it may happen again”, she said in the autumn of 2019. Suzan said her path in life has been a “go with the flow” process. “My work and my life have been fluid and flowing”. She said that she tries to develop an attitude of “the plan is to not have a plan. I want to let my life and work evolve and develop. It allows me to see other options and gifts as they come my way”.  

 As Suzan’s journey unfolded, in December 2019, she moved to ten acres of land in Applegate Valley, Oregon to pursue another vein of study in her artwork. Now 64, she lives on ten acres of land and her wooded yard is surrounded by vineyards. As well, she is only two hours from the Pacific Ocean and down the hill from the mountains.  “I am in the midst of all this beauty and it’s inspiring me to explore much more organic earthy outdoors art.” With this new inspiration, Suzan is exploring creating art that is placed outdoors. For example, she has a koi pond and looking at art to enhance the outdoor peaceful settings. “It will be colorful and playful. I look forward to exploring more of my art”.

Also, Suzan now has the space to create two studios – one indoors and one outdoors. She will continue to participate in studio tours linked with the Lavender Festival and other special events around Applegate Valley.  As well, she is considering using her studio as a place to teach classes so that students can create mosaic pieces. She will also seek galleries who will love her pieces and help promote her art.

Renowned photographer, John Paul Caponigro, said, “Art is a journey of discovery”. As I listen to Suzan, and watch her voyage and unearthing of the art inside her, I watch her pilgrimage continue. Each artistic path she takes ushers in more sophistication to her designs and her understanding of that free-flowing play with color. As a fan, it is a delight to watch her adventures unfold. Reader, is life still unfolding for you? Tell us.

Last month, I told the trilogy of three volunteers and how their lives intertwined to become Via volunteer drivers. I was delightful to see the response as readers hear the stories of these three amazing individuals. 

Henna said, “I really enjoyed hearing about the people in this month’s blog. Such a variety of interesting lives. I tend to contemplate what would young people think if they saw just the trio of faces in those photos — “Oh, just some old people.”  Little do they realize the rich lives they have lived both in their working careers and personal experiences.”

Susan said, “I love your recent Drop In post.  These people are all so interesting.  I actually know Peggy.  She’s was a neighbor in our first Longmont neighborhood.  I’m so glad you profiled her. She’s one of the most interesting people I’ve ever met.  How lucky you are to have the opportunity to meet so many great people!”

Bonnie said, “Debbie, it’s absolutely amazing to me, with my short memory and directional challenge, all you do, and from a wheelchair.  Thank you for your blog, and all the effort you put in to bring it all to us.  Hugs to you always.” 

Elizabeth said, “Heartwarming, interesting, and inspiring.  You have met so many interesting people and have told their stories well.”

Susana said, “I enjoyed learning about Peggy, Tom and Jeff stories, very inspirational. Thank you for webbing our lives.”

Until next month, may peace be at your side,

Debbie Noel

We have several ways to interact with Debbie!

• Email her at DroppingInWithDebbie@gmail.com

• Register at the blog site (very bottom of the page) to have your comments viewed online

• Send your letters to:

Debbie Noel
C/o Longmont Senior Center
910 Longs Peak Avenue
Longmont, Colorado 80501

 

NOTE: During the COVID-19 pandemic, Via is continuing to serve vulnerable people in our community despite a significant decline in revenues. Your donation to Via’s Help Our Neighbors Fund will help us keep the buses rolling. Please donate https://viacolorado.org/give/

For more information about Suzan’s work, you can go to her website at www.suzanhatchart.com 

Suzan’s contact information in on her website and you can also email her if you are interested in purchasing some of her pieces. Both her paintings and mosaics are truly unique works of art. As she says, “I am an artist. I use glass, metal, ceramics, semi-precious stone, paint and other interesting and fun materials to form intricate design. I shape forms to flow, dance, and enjoy creating woven tapestries to play with color and light.”

I met Suzan in Donna Clement’s art classes at the Longmont Senior Center. A talented artist and instructor, you met Donna in the September 2018 Drop In with Debbie blog. When the center is opened again, her classes can be found in the Longmont Senior Center Go Book – a catalogue of local activities and Senior Center classes.