Born and raised in New Jersey, Suzanne Taetzsch currently lives and works in Rhode Island. As a child, her parents ensured music and dance were prominent in her life and she was fortunate to attend a public school system with a strong arts curriculum, all of which fueled her love of and attention to the arts.

She trained as a metalsmith and earned a BFA from State University of New York at New Paltz. After exhibiting in the craft and jewelry world for many years, a connection with other artists through a non-profit artists’ space led to a position there of Public Relations Coordinator, where she was introduced to photography and learned to work in the darkroom. This experience led to a body of photography work shot mainly at amusement parks and county fairs, incorporating all the chaotic color and movement of that atmosphere. These photos became painterly, and a selection were paired with poems she was writing at the time. This work was satisfying, but she was missing a direct and hands on approach to artmaking. When she found abstract painting it felt like coming home.

“I am most excited when my work exists between drawing and painting. I love the physicality of making marks on the surface; the connection between the page, the tools and my hands; taking my time, considering the feelings, the emotions, the deep sensation of expression. I am always in awe of nature; flora, fauna, bugs, rocks, trees……and I am delighted when their sinewy rough smooth awkwardly perfect forms inspire the marks that flow through my hands. My work is further informed by the elements of movement in music and dance; as I play with these rhythms in an improvisational way, the inevitable surprises lead to the pleasure of continuous discovery.”