Suzanne Silk

REBIRTH OF
SUZANNE SILK’S ART

BY JOAN S. PECK
ARTWORK BY SUZANNE SILK

Many of us are fortunate to live a longer, healthy life than we anticipated or dreamed was possible. Instead of being retired as planned, many of us are in the throes of learning different and new ways of conducting business—how to attract customers and compete in today’s market. Advances in technology have forced us to look at business in an entirely new way by directing all aspects through the internet and social media. In 2017, more than 8 million people worked from home, and we know that figure has grown significantly since then. Especially when that means businesses no longer have to be housed in actual constructed offices or buildings at a time when business owners are looking for ways to cut their costs.

In addition, thanks to social media and the internet, our clients and business partnerships have extended to include the entire world. The expression “the world is your oyster” has significant meaning in today’s economy, and for good reason. This certainly has become true for contemporary American Artist and Designer, Suzanne Silk.

In days past, you might have found Silk in her own studio with swaths of silk surrounding her as she painted on silk and designed her highly in-demand, stylized pieces of wearable art—which are now collector items.

Today, she sits in front of her computer at home, listening to classical music and jazz, and creates her art pieces much like she used to do. Only now, by learning and mastering the intricacies of Photoshop over the last 20 years, Silk uses her images and technology to create her new work and sends her large computer files to Asia where her work will be manufactured through the company, Vida. How did she come to this point in her life?

Although Silk was born in San Francisco, she was raised on Long Island, where the nearness of New York City made it possible for her to be exposed to all the wonderful art galleries there: the Guggenheim, Metropolitan Art Museum, Whitney Museum of American Art, The Museum of Modern Art and more. Thus began her stepping into the world of classic art. Her East Coast education and a summer schooling in Paris included a BS in Art Education from NYU and an advanced degree in Graphic Design from the Parson’s School of Design. Two years at the Syracuse Art School is where Silk focused on life-drawing, basic 2D design, introduction to oil painting, and the science of color and light. As her exposure to other influences increased, she says, “I still envision all that world museum going and sophistication not having gone to waste one New York minute!”

In 1976, Silk, her husband, and young son returned to the Bay Area, her birthplace where she says her heart belonged. The move changed her life and brought her out of the classics into the wild spirit of the women’s movement and the new freedom it represented. Her sense of art expanded and an understanding and exposure to the San Francisco / Asian / American community produced stunning creative pieces of her work now with bright colors and Asian influence. They were highly stylized, Asian-inspired silken pieces of wearable art. It was there in northern California that Silk learned to paint on silk, which she says is a very “sensuous” thing to do. Silk considers her Asian influence pieces her favorites. “Inspiration comes in living with curiosity, seeing what is possible, and in connecting all things.”

It was in that spirit of curiosity that Silk moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico, in 2005. It was where the Far East meets the southwest. She was pulled there by many friendships and gallery connections she had already established. The rich gallery and art scene was so compelling and called her to experience a new culture and unknown environments; to explore firsthand the Native American lore and culture, and to be inspired by ancient wisdom cultures of the American southwest. Following in the paths of many independent women artists, Silk studied at the Santa Fe Workshops—an established photography school housed in an old, Catholic monastery. Courses in Advanced Digital Photography and Advanced Digital Printing techniques were the most engaging for her, leading her to how she creates today.

How did Silk reach this milestone of rebirthing her creations? Silk’s story is not unique in that she had already settled into retirement and was not thinking about creating more of her work. Yet, as with many artists, it was impossible for her to stop creating altogether. As she sorted through her boxes of photographs of her work, articles written about her, and cards from her many clients around the world, she realized she wasn’t done yet.

What I found stunning in her work is how she develops her patterns because they are not single images. She calls herself a Collagist—“I believe that working in a variety of mediums including digital photography, graphic design and a variety of surface-design techniques has greatly influenced my life; a dialogue is formed, and it informs what comes next. This alchemical process is an expression of: “Art making art making a change.”

“I’m inspired by exotic foreign travel and a passion for collecting world textiles. During a 40-year career in graphic design and surface design, I’ve mastered a variety of textile design techniques such as Silk Painting, Silk Screen, Devore, Discharge, Foiling, and Rozome (a Japanese form of brushed wax-resist). My work is all about Nature’s Beauty.”

It was through Silk’s research that she found the company, Vida. She was thrilled to discover it represents everything she is passionate about in regard to the responsibility we have to share with others the just rewards of what we help to create.

Much of today’s creative art has been developed by the techno world we live in, and Vida is one example of how we can work together to benefit all who help in the creation of a product. What Vida provides is a place for artists to have their creations manufactured.

Umaimah Mendhro is the founder and CEO of Vida. She grew up in a small town in Pakistan and dreamed of becoming an artist. She came to the United States as a young adult, earned an Ivy League education, and then built a career in technology and business. Today, she blends her passions for art, technology, and business while helping her fellow Pakistanis break the cycle of poverty with the launch of her new e-commerce platform, VIDA. She has investors and a strong team of advisors.

“I wanted to use technology to create a global platform that gives emerging designers all over the world an opportunity to share their gift with the world,” she explains. Vida’s story is that of the rich, interconnected world we live in —the story of contemporary life and mindful global citizenship. We are a global partnership of co-creators, from a designer in Paris to a producer in Karachi, and a consumer in San Francisco.” Artists receive 10% of the $45-$90 retail prices for each of their pieces sold.

Like all of us, Silk has moved through life collecting her experiences and choices, making it a part of who she is. That is what makes her and each of us unique. Since life never remains the same, each of Silk’s moves to a different area created a new way for her to look at herself, her life, and her work from a different perspective. Her art reflects that with all their influences represented. She is a prolific artist who because of her willingness to rebirth the way she creates, remains a successful artist today—even beyond retirement.

Silk says, “Four years ago, I decided to retire to Las Vegas to be near my family. But as you now know, my retirement is now on hold, and I’m excited to be creating again.”