MONTREAL — Over 20 years ago, ex-Montrealer Suzanne Gardner never imagined a career path as an artist.
Suzanne Gardner
MONTREAL — Over 20 years ago, ex-Montrealer Suzanne Gardner never imagined a career path as an artist.
Suzanne Gardner with her work.
After receiving a sociology degree from University of Toronto, and then studying gerontology at Ryerson University, she began working as a nursing director in a seniors’ facility and later turned to office management.
Although she always dabbled in drawing it remained a hobby, a creative outlet she simply enjoyed. Ironically, it was only after she began to lose her vision nine years ago that she recognized her penchant for drawing as a gift.
“When I realized that I would no longer be able to work at a desk job I found myself needing something to keep me going. A friend suggested that I take an art course just to keep my spirits up,” said Suzanne, now age 43.
Suzanne, who has had juvenile diabetes since age seven, developed a complication of the disease called diabetic retinopathy and two years after her diagnosis, was declared legally blind.
“When I started to lose my vision I was a little scared about what I would do with my life but I also saw it as an opportunity to re-invent myself, to try something new,” she says.
Initially, Suzanne began experimenting with classes in different art techniques, ranging from sculpture to painting, but it was acrylic painting that seemed to suit her developing style the most.
“Acrylics dry much faster so depending on your style it is either a benefit or a problem,” she says. “I prefer acrylics because they dry within minutes so you can continue painting and get much crisper lines.”
Her signature style is bold and vibrant florals, often on large canvases, and what she describes as an explosion of color.
“When I started painting I was trying to paint like everyone else and found it nearly impossible. Then one day I decided that I needed to work with my problem instead of against it. This is when I began to use really big canvases and very bold vibrant colours,” she says. “I have difficulty distinguishing between similar colours so I tend to use colours very far apart on the colour spectrum such as yellow against purple.”
In 2006, she submitted her work to the Toronto Art Expo, which became her very first show. Her most recent show will be held this summer in downtown Toronto. “I’ve been selling my work professionally for a few years now to clients here in Canada, but also in the U.S., Mexico and England,” she says. “I paint probably about five out of seven days a week.”
She uses magnifying glasses only when necessary so she tends to work on large-sized canvases because they make it easier for her to see her own work.
“It’s important to me to make a statement and that the statement is a positive one. I consider my art to be happy art. What I want to do is create an explosion of amazing colour to overwhelm the viewer. I want people to look at my art and feel happiness and energy.”
Although losing her vision was a most difficult challenge, Suzanne readily admits that with it she discovered an untapped part of herself.
“All my life when I met anyone who was doing something creative, whether it was knitting, crocheting, painting, baking etc., I wanted to learn how to do it too,” she explains. “I just knew that there was something in me that needed to be expressed creatively.”
She has since discovered she actually has very little need for sight when it comes to expressing her work on canvas.
“I use my mind rather than my sight because the mind is limitless,” she explains. “For me, I guess my art has been a kind of calling. I know I’m on the right path in my life at this particular time, no matter what obstacles I may have had to encounter.”