Meet Suz Podrasky

Today we're chatting with Suz Podrasky, an abstract artist and sculptor who works in a variety of mediums. Her most recent exhibit was at the Spectrum Art Fair in Miami. Suz was awarded the "Best of Maryland Preservation Artisans Award" by Preservation Maryland for her work on the historic Ivy Hotel in Baltimore.

Please tell us about your current line of work and how you got started in it.

Hi! I'm so happy to be a part of this and answer these questions! I am an abstract artist/ sculptor and am currently working on paintings with textures, epoxy, spray paint, and acrylic paint to create depth physically and to create a story. I started off as a sculptor and morphed into 3 D paintings. I love welding, but It was tricky finding studios that allowed that in their spaces anywhere near me at the time, so I began to paint, and all my pieces somehow all end up being sculptural in their own way.

Do you have any mentors or sources of inspiration?

One of my mentors is Michelle Baker, and she teaches a course called Art as A Soul Language, which helps you uncover what is making you feel stuck at a soul level. My favorite quote from her is "if you don't do it in art, you'll never do it in life!" Another mentor is Ann Rea- she teaches changing your mindset to move you forward in your art career. But some of my favorite artists that inspire me the most are the French sculptor Louise Bourgeois with her large-scale pieces, Mark Rothko and his amazing color fields, and Matisse. My parents took me as a 5-year-old to see his cut out pieces at the National Gallery and I've never forgotten it.

Can you tell us about your process and which parts of your work you enjoy most?

I see each one of my art pieces fully completed in my head, almost like a daydream or vision, and the part I enjoy the most is figuring out how to get it to match that vision. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. But that image won't go away until I complete the work.

What are your favorite things to do when you have free time?

I have so many things I love to do- I love to cook, bake, rock climb, hike, teach yoga and sound healing, skateboard, read mysteries and beach books. One of my new goals is to get back into taking ballet and learning to surf. All of those should keep me learning new things while the paint dries!

Are there any dream projects you’d like to pursue?

Oh- a dream project for me would be to combine all of my passions into one: an art gallery that has space to hold yoga and sound bath healing with a bakery/ coffee shop and space for musicians to play during an art show. Basically, a one stop shop for all healing modalities!

How can we learn more about you?

My art website is www.suzpodraskystudios.com. I have all kinds of projects and art updates on my Instagram accounts, https://www.instagram.com/podraskystudios/ and https://podraskystudio.com/.