New Additons to Watercolors Page
I recently scanned slides of Suzie's sold watercolors I found in a binder in our studio. Our friend Bob Egan and I spent an afternoon cleaning the scans up and adjusting the colors. Many thanks to Bob for his help with the images; he is a master in that craft while I just muddle around. Some of the slides had been labeled with dates painted and dates sold. However, most only had titles and a few had no information at all. I listed them all as in private collections and titled the few without any information. If anyone knows the dates, titles, or owners of any of these images, please contact me at anytime.
I recently found this photo of Suzie selling her Cakepeople ornaments at a craft fair in the front of the Museum of National History in New York City.
![Suzie at Cakepeople Booth](../_Media/suzie-at-cakepeople-booth_med.jpeg)
Watercolor and Photos
There is now a new image on the watercolor page. The watercolor called "Paper Hats" is one of Suzie's larger pieces.. It hangs in our living room. Suzie liked the image a lot. She never sold that piece and was even reluctant to exchange it in trade for another of her works.
Leslie, a long time friend of Suzie, sent me two photos of Suzie on a vacation break during her Oxford school year. Leslie's description of the holiday break is as follows:
It was over our spring break. The vacation period was really long at Oxford- about a month. Everyone would leave town to go home or travel. Naturally Suzie and I were broke and had nowhere to go. The town was nearly empty. We spent our time drawing, sewing and the usual hanging out with any stragglers we ran into around town. One night we were listening to the radio and our favorite d.j. John Peel said he was going to be hosting a disco in Bognor Regis. We got out a map and decided, on the spur of the moment, to hitchhike down there. It turned out to be one of the most memorable times of the year. Every person who picked us up was an interesting character.
We arrived late afternoon, found ourselves a bed and breakfast to stay at overnight, and spent some time wandering the town and seashore. Then in the evening, we headed to the Rex Ballroom for the disco. We made an impression (not favorable probably) on Mr. Peel by trotting right up and requesting the David Bowie song "Fame", He looked annoyed and seemed like he was just going to ignore us. It was not really a dance tune after all. So he played a bunch of other songs and the dance floor remained totally empty. The crowd seemed to be a made up primarily of sullen looking young men.
Suzie and I were trying to get the nerve up to dance: but, it's hard being the first ones. Finally he announced that "maybe this would get the Yanks on their feet anyway" and he played our song. Whereupon we HAD to get up there. So there we were all alone in front of a surly looking audience, commanding the entire dance floor, laughing hysterically, and making huge fools of ourselves, no doubt, dancing to "Fame". After that the dance floor crowded up and was packed the rest of the night. I'm sure everyone felt secure that they couldn't possibly look as goofy as us. So they dropped their inhibitions. And I bet John Peel liked us for injecting a little life into his party.
Suzie at the Pier in Bognor Regis, South England
![Susie at Pier in Bognor Regis](../_Media/susie_at_pier_in_bognor_med.jpeg)
Suzie at the Bognor Regis Bandstand
![Susie Bognor Regis Bandstand](../_Media/susie_bognor_regis_bandstan_med.jpeg)
Sketches 3
Here are a few more sketches from Suzie's old sketchbooks. These are sketches for a silkscreen and several watercolors. I have never seen the finished pieces; their images might be among the several hundred color slides in Suzie's binders. As soon as I can get them onto the computer, I will post them so her friends can view them. The slides appear to be images of watercolors that were sold in her gallery shows.
Sketch for Valentine Silkscreen
![Sketch for Valentine Silkscreen 1976](../_Media/sketch_for_valentine_silksc_med.jpeg)
Sketch for Clothesline Picnic- August 1976
![Sketch for Clothesline Picnic August 1976](../_Media/sketch_for_clothesline_med.jpeg)
Pencil Sketch Women with Fish
![Pencil Sketch Women with Fish](../_Media/pencil_sketch_women_with_med.jpeg)
Color Sketch for Women with Fish
![Color Sketch Women with Fish](../_Media/color_sketch_women_with_med.jpeg)
Sketches 2
Today was a nice sunny day. So I put a table in the sun, grabbed the camera and shot some more photos of the pages in Suzie's sketchbooks from Oxford. The unknown portrait from the last blog entry was a self portrait that Suzie had sketched while she was in Oxford. Her friend Leslie had a good laugh when she explained that to me. Here are several more sketches from her days in England in the 1970's.
Sketch of Suzie with Attitude.
![Sketch of Suzie with Attitude](../_Media/sketch_of_suzie_with_attitu_med.jpeg)
Sketch of Girl with Foot on Window Sill.
![Girl with Foot on Sill](../_Media/girl_with_foot_on_sill_med.jpeg)
Watercolor of Girl with Foot on Window Sill.
![Girl with Foot on Sill Watercolor](../_Media/girl_with_foot_on_sill_med-2.jpeg)
Sketches
It was finally a sunny day in Baltimore after all the rain. I went outside and shot some photos of sketches in one of Suzie's old sketch books. Judging from the sketches in this book, it seems to be one Suzie used while she was in Oxford. Some of these sketches are ideas for watercolors and paintings; others are portraits without names. I recognized just a few of the people. If anyone knows the persons in the sketches, please let me know. I will be gradually posting new images; so check out the site now and then.
![Lamb and Flag Jan 21](../_Media/lamb_and_flag_jan_21.jpeg)
Lamb and Flag was Suzie's favorite pub in Oxford.
![Portrait Sketch 1](../_Media/portrait_sketch_1.jpeg)
Unknown portrait from the same sketch book.
![Two Women Sketch](../_Media/two_women_sketch.jpeg)
Sketch of two women.
First Post
I am gradually finding and photographing older works and sketches that Suzie made. Many of Suzie's friends are also sending me photos of Suzie that I have not seen before. All of these works and photos have some story attached to them. In order to allow more space for these stories, I have started this blog page. I hope all of the friends who visit this site enjoy the entries and send more images and photos for others to see.
![26 St. John Street](../_Media/26_st_john_street_med.jpeg)
The building in the middle is 26 Saint John Street where Suzie lived in Oxford, England. She had a room on the second or third floor which looked out the back of the building.
![Leslie & Susie Walton Street steps](../_Media/leslie__susie_walton_street_med.jpeg)
A photo Leslie sent me of Suzie and her sitting on the front steps of Leslie’s building in Oxford. Leslie had written on the back of the photo “fake smiles on our last day in Oxford”. She believes a passing stranger they flagged down took the photo.