Suzanne Jacquot

www.LivingYourWildCreativity.com

 

Suzanne Jacquot was born in Los Angeles and spent her childhood there, curious about the world around her, passing most of her days outdoors. In first grade, she fell in love with Crayola crayons (she kept her first drawing for years). An influential high school teacher shared movies, culture, hiking, music, and stories with a few students outside of class, which further fueled her curiosity. Later, at UC Berkeley, Jacquot took design classes and became hooked on the process of creation, enjoying ceramics, drawing, and photography. She spent a summer near Santa Cruz polishing her skills as a potter and later spent a year producing ceramics in London, taking advantage of opportunities to study art in all media in Britain’s museums and churches. Upon returning to the US, she attended Mills College where she earned an MFA in photography and ceramic sculpture. Mentors have included Peter Voulkous, Ron Nagle, and Richard Shaw in ceramics, and Richard Misrach, Wilhelm Kriz, Jack Welpott, and Judy Dater in photography. She was an SF MOMA SECA award recipient in the mid 1970s. In the late 1980s Suzanne studied graphic design at California College of the Arts (CCA), worked for Smith & Hawken as a head designer, and in the 1990s owned and ran her own graphic design firm. Today, Suzanne lives a quiet life in the hills of Sonoma County, devoting herself to making art and facilitating Creativity Workshops with Grant Taylor, a photographer, videographer, and painter from Santa Fe, New Mexico. She exhibits her art at various Bay Area venues.  

 

Artist’s statement

 

My paintings are rich tapestries of color and form, influenced by nature and my personal experiences in the world. My multi-layered, textural images are reflective of the interweavings and complexity of life itself. I enjoy exploring with no demands on my mind other than to be present, to observe, and to participace in the moment. I try to be an active participant in and a contributor to the mystery and magic that wait to be revealed. My work balances between spontaneity and discernment, exploration and excavation--expressing a deep acceptance of and connection to my spirituality and joy in being alive.