Suzanne deVeuve lives in
Cazadero, California with her husband and their
three children, ages 16, 11, 4. Her paintings
have appeared in magazines and books. She has
illustrated covers for Z Budapest's A Holy Book
of Women's Mysteries, Grandmother of Time and
its sequel Grandmother Moon. She has also
designed covers for The Return of Pahana by
Robert Boissiere and The Alchemist's Almanac.
Her illustrations have appeared in Women's
Spirituality Calendar, Darshan magazine,
SageWoman, Sojourn and other publications.
I've been a painter for at
least twenty years now. Most of my work is done
in oil, but I also do etchings. I've worked my
discipline to the point where it feels like a
habit. One thing I learned from art school was
to keep sketchbooks and diaries. I've created
about fifty of these and I still get nourished
from them. Anais Nin, an early influence, also
kept diaries. The way she related to her life
inspired me and I spring boarded off what she
did with words except I use visual images.My
favorite quote from her is, "The personal life
that's lived deeply always extends beyond
itself."
Whenever I come up with
something: inspiring dreams, quotes or images,
they go in my sketchbook. These have kept me
going for years. I illustrate my own dreams and
others'. For instance, I have an etching of
Aphrodite that came from a dream. She's on the
classic half-shell, with dolphins swimming
beneath her in the ocean. The ocean is like the
subconscious and the dolphins are the
messengers. This blend of personal and
collective mythology is typical of my
work.
I also found much of what I
was searching for by studying the psyche. Early
in life, I gained the identity of Wolf Woman.
When I was thirteen, I got a German shepherd
named Bruiser who stayed with me for fourteen
years. In high school, since I always had this
big dog with me, I was called Wolf Woman. One of
the first shamanic images I made was a woman's
face with a wolf head on top. I learned about
connecting with the animal or nature side of
myself by reading authors such as Carl Jung, and
Joseph Campbell.
My work is about
introspection and bringing inner treasures
outside. Going within is like the bear entering
its cave. I would like to set an example for
people, to do that inner work in whatever way
they can. For example, the Shabbat in the Jewish
tradition, where you forget worldly affairs and
just tend to God. That's what art and creativity
are to me: tending to the inner spiritual needs.
Wherever that takes you, it'll be fine, as long
as it doesn't hurt anyone. I like to keep in
mind the Hippocratic law of "first, do no harm."
The Dali Lama says to treat
all sentient beings like your mother. If it
weren't for the kindness of the people who
raised you, you wouldn't have made it here. So I
try to be kind to others, meanwhile being
loving, trusting and respecting of myself.
Kindness and creativity go hand-in-hand. They
both require nurturing the spirit. Kindness
comes from inner strength and compassion.
Creativity, is nothing less than making light
the deepest darkest recesses of the psyche. Both
are innate in us all. With them there is
unlimited potential.
Her line of greeting cards is
available in select stores or on her web site
at: http://www.deveuve-kelly.com
Please
call or write for availability and prices of my
paintings, cards, and prints
list.
