Local Artist Spotlight: Suzan Gannett

People often say that if you do what you love, you will never work a day in your life. Well, what if you spend your days doing what you love, honing your skills and giving and receiving feedback from peers that you respect? That seems akin to winning the lottery!

This is exactly the kind of life that local artist Suzan Gannett, a local Plymouth artist, leads. Gannett specializes in jewelry (that she makes her own beads for), watercolor paintings and zen doodles (drawings built out of structured patterns).

She is a member of Artistic Roots on Main Street, an artisan co-op, where she and her fellow artists are all partial owners. They give each other feedback and sell their artwork together there.

Gannett has known that she wanted to be an artist since the age of ten, when she was in a school play about what students wanted to be when they grew up. “I’ve always drawn, or painted or done something, because my hands are always busy doing something,” Gannett said.

Later, in high school, she took a fair amount of art classes. Gannett is perturbed by the fact that schools have been cutting funding for the arts in recent years.

 “I think that’s really too bad, that they’re cutting funding in art. Because I think art is a chance for kids to express themselves, and, you know what--everybody’s good at something,” she said. “I look at the arts on a broader scale [music, dance, etc.], which I think is important for all of us to have in our lives.”

Gannett has always been an artist, and she draws inspiration from an array of other artists, some of whom are considered “classics,” like Picasso and Monet. “I love going to a museum and taking a good look at what they [famous, classic artists] did.”

Gannett acknowledges the fact that, at this point in the history of humans, everything is a bit recycled. “There’s nothing really new in art; it’s all been done before someway and somehow,” she said.

Gannett has also taken many different classes and gone to art camps put on by other accomplished artists. And, these days, she is inspired by collaborating with the professionals she works with at Artistic Roots.

“I love the chance we get to collaborate with one another, offer each other constructive advice,” Gannett said regarding her Artistic Roots peers. “For us, it’s [Artistic Roots] artists that come together to share their work.”

Gannett said about her love of co-op, “It’s that collaboration with one another, but also a place that you can sell your work that’s clean and well-managed. And we all have a say in what happens here. We’re all owners in the co-op.”

Artistic Roots does not just sell art; it offers classes to the public, and has a studio that was renovated in the last year. Gannett has been with the co-op for five or six years, and has been the president there for the last three.

When it comes to Gannett’s creative process, she often goes into creating art with a basic idea of what she wants to come to fruition. She knows what colors she wants to use, and what basic look she wants to achieve.

Still, when making jewelry, glass and colors can change after being in the kiln. So, even with a certain idea in mind, there is always a chance the results might be slightly different than what she originally pictured.

One type of jewelry that has become a staple in Gannett’s work is creating what she has dubbed “wonky beads.” For these specific beads, she starts out with a donut shape, and uses a shaping tool to mold them into the configuration she is looking for.

“I think they’re going to be my signature bead, because they’re what I’ve done the most with,” Gannett said about her wonky beads.

Gannett describes her art as “modern traditional,” though she believes that her style varies with the medium. “I think my jewelry is a little more modern than my pictures and painting,” she said.

Right now, Gannett is enjoying her mostly-retired life, while also working at Artistic Roots. “This is the ideal retirement job, because it’s doing everything I love, when I want to do it,” she said. “Right now, it’s all fun, because I’m doing it because I want to do it.”

Regarding her message to buyers of her jewelry and art, Gannett said, “I love color. I love using color. If you’re buying my paintings, or wearing my jewelry, I hope you’re having fun with it. I hope it brings joy into your life, and that it’s something that you treasure.”

Artistic Roots is located on 73 Main Street, in downtown Plymouth. To visit the Artistic Roots website, visit http://www.artisticroots.com/.

To visit Gannett’s website, visit https://www.suzangannettcreation.com/about. To visit Gannett’s Etsy page, visit https://www.etsy.com/shop/SuzanGannettCreation.