Studio 31 by Suzie - Fluid Art, Singing and Everything in Between

Up and coming resin and alcohol ink artist Studio 31 by Suzie will be attending her first ever market on Sunday 23rd October at the Festival Market in Forrest Place. Make sure to stop by and show her some new small business love.

Creating, Pouring and Singing

Studio 31 by Suzie was founded by you guessed it - Suzie. She was born with creativity running through her veins. She is a lifelong artist but took a break from her art for 5 years. She missed it terribly and her fluid art journey began after meeting her new partner who encouraged her to start creating again. She mainly concentrates on fluid art (inks, gels, pastes, alcohol ink, resin, wax, concrete, etc) and she considers herself very lucky to have adapted a small room by her house into a dream studio. Suzie’s partner called it Studio 31 because they live at number 31, and it stuck. In her studio she loves experimenting and creating different effects. She loved it so much she decided to turn Studio 31 into a business so that she could hand something she had made with love and passion to someone who loves it as much as she does. In her words, “there is no better feeling than creating with the radio blasting out my favourite song, and because my studio in separate from the house, this also means no one can hear my dreadful singing to that favourite song!”

Time Consuming but Satisfying 

Suzie finds inspiration all around her and saves a lot of her inspiration on Pinterest boards. Her process depends on what it is she is inspired to create. She is currently making a black resin ocean scape. It is a wooden cradle board which she prepped with 2 coats of black gesso. She then mixed concrete and applied this to the bottom part. Next came the resin. She used black pigment paste with a bit of sparkle. She gradually adds layers upon layers before adding white pigment to mimic the effect of foam in the water. The entire process is unpredictable and quite toxic, so safety equipment is necessary. It is very time consuming but cathartic. A piece like this will be completely dry in about 3 weeks. Suzie’s art is constantly evolving as she continues to learn, experiment, and be inspired by the beach and by mother nature.

Hard Work, Dedication and Markets!

Suzie works 40 hours over 4 days (wow!) which leaves 1-2 days a week dedicated to her art. Sometimes a day off can't come quick enough as she is counting down the minutes to get back to it! Darn you full time work and being an adult! For the past 6 months Suzie has been selling her art through the Artisan Store in Fremantle and on Etsy. She has had a few commissioned pieces and is now excited to enter the wonderful world of markets.

New Business Struggles and a Bit of Poison

Studio 31 is just in the beginning stages so many parts of starting a new business have been a challenge for Suzie. Marketing and social media are two things that Suzie struggles with, but she is committed to improving this skill, just like she has done with her art! Suzie wants her work to be at a high quality and standard which means she will rarely leave her studio until she is happy with the result. There are so many talented artists at these markets who make amazing items from fluid art. Studio 31 sells pieces that are different to a lot of resin artists or alcohol artists. Suzie practiced over and over with many experiments, failures, and successes. Most products she uses are toxic in their fluid state, so she wears proper PPE. Once dry of course they are no longer toxic.

Dreams, Exhibitions and Her Art on Someone’s Wall

Suzie’s dream would be to do an exhibition of her ocean work. She loves the beach, and nature, and wildlife. She would one day love to move down south and create her art full time. In the short term, she would simply just like to see a piece of her art hanging proudly on someone's wall. That would mean so much to her. Often, she sells to a stranger over the internet and doesn’t hear from them again. “When it's a piece you are particularly fond of, it's nice to see it being appreciated and loved”. Suzie also loves making large pieces which is something she would like to concentrate on more. She is always open to do more commissioned pieces and to work with the customer to make something special for them.

Festival Market Ready

We asked Suzie how she feels about this coming market, and she said:

“I am so excited! This will be my first market. To chat to people who show an interest in my work and to chat to fellow artisans is always interesting and fun. This market is run on Telethon weekend so it's a great honour to be part of a reason to bring people to be part of this incredibly important cause too.

I can't wait to meet you all in person and am so excited to have my own little stall. I will be selling resin ocean coasters, pictures and clocks, alcohol ink cups / planters and some Christmas baubles. Everything I make is handmade with love and completely unique.”

It takes a Mark to Inspire an Artist

You can find Suzie and support her new business at Festival Market on 23 October 2022 from 10am to 4pm at Forrest Place in the CBD.

Suzie attributes her confidence to apply to this market to her wonderful and supportive partner Mark. He has encouraged and supported her right from the start. He converted their outside storage room into Studio 31. If you tell her his name on Market Day, she will give you 10% discount or donate it to Telethon – your choice!

You can also find Suzie on:

Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100075908558841

Instagram: @suzie.griffith