Today we’d like to introduce you to Suzanne Keith Loechl.
Suzanne, please kick things off for us by telling us about yourself and your journey so far.
My studio is the embodiment of my inner landscape – I believe everyone should have a place like this! That’s not to say it’s always a pleasant place to be. In fact, not too long ago, I suffered through my “year of bad painting” as my work was transitioning from one energy field to another. But Rumi reminded me in his poem, The Guest House: “This being human is a guest house. Every morning a new arrival. A joy, a depression, a meanness, some momentary awareness comes as an unexpected visitor. Welcome and entertain them all!”
So, most of the time I’m out living in the world – at home with my family, at the high school where I work part-time, on my walks and bike rides, and during my travels. But this is what I really love – the knowing that returning to the studio is a coming home. For me, it’s where the magic takes place. A place that transforms my life experiences into pigments and paints on a panel, even if it makes me crazy sometimes.
My background in landscape architecture and art has trained me to be a keen observer of design – by this, I mean the natural design of the universe and the human design of the landscape. I was born in England and moved to the United States as a young child. Growing up, I had the opportunity to experience many landscapes from England to Kansas, Virginia, and Illinois. Endeavoring to create a more peaceful world of coexistence, I recently became an ordained interfaith minister through a seminary in New York City. My landscape architecture experience combined with studies of Eastern and Western religions, as well as indigenous faiths, provide a template for me to play with content, design, and ideas.
Can you give our readers some background on your art?
The earth beats and hums with millions of tiny systems calibrated to sustain life. With a background in art, landscape architecture and spiritual studies, I notice patterns and connections within the land and among her inhabitants. My intention is to depict the beauty and dynamism of the natural, as well as the soul and soullessness of the built environment.
Some of my paintings depict the American suburban landscape with pavement and structures. I became interested in these ubiquitous spaces and began observing people living within them. The process of making these, in some respects, mimics the engineered, geometric landscapes that they depict. My newer abstracts also reflect the landscape, but rather than engineering my compositions, I let the pieces evolve more organically. Not unlike a landscape or land planning rendering, I search for patterns and forms, looking for connections and spatial relationships as I paint. These paintings can be interpreted from various viewpoints from a micro to a macro scale, aerial or elevation view.
At the moment, I’m also endeavoring to further combine these two techniques by juxtaposing patterns and connections with figures in the human-made landscape. Please keep checking my website to see this series as it progresses.
My work is an ongoing exploration, endeavoring to portray the earth and those who live in it as strangely beautiful, yet enormously fragile.
Artists rarely, if ever pursue art for the money. Nonetheless, we all have bills and responsibilities and many aspiring artists are discouraged from pursuing art due to financial reasons. Any advice or thoughts you’d like to share with prospective artists?
Get a part-time job that’s social, inspirational or in some way meaningful, if possible. Getting out of the studio and experiencing life may help inspire and inform your work.
What’s the best way for someone to check out your work and provide support?
People can support my work by:
Visiting my website: www.
Following me on Instagram: skloechlartist
Contact Info:
- Address: 1212 W. Charles St., Champaign, Illinois 61821
- Website: www.suzannekeithloechl.com
- Phone: 217-377-4373
- Email: suzanneloechl@gmail.com
- Instagram: skloechlartist
- Facebook: Suzanne Keith Loechl
- Twitter: SuzanneLoechl@skloechlartist
Image Credit:
Suzanne Keith Loechl
Getting in touch: VoyageChicago is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
Jane G Halliday
December 6, 2018 at 4:06 pm
Marvelous! Such wonderful color.
Mary Petry
December 7, 2018 at 10:50 pm
Such beautiful work! The progression in Suzanne’s work is very interesting visually and intellectually.