Suzanne specializes in paintings on full and over-sized sheets of 300-500 pound watercolor paper. Suzanne normally includes texture under-painting, such as a coarse grain, crackle medium, polymer varnish, rice paper, or poured gold ink. She prefers to paint with three watercolor or gouache colors and may add metallic acrylic paint, gesso or watercolor pencil. Suzanne often wets the painting before adding other layers and additional highlight colors. She may add metallic powder or foil.
Suzanne Haydu received her Bachelors in Art (emphasis in Photography) from Humboldt State University in 1977. In the 1970's and 1980's, her photographs focused on working with dancers, scarves, diaphanous silk parachutes, and umbrellas in outdoor settings to create an ethereal mood. Her photographs were in black and white and frequently shot with infrared film causing the sky to go dark and the foliage light with a granular effect. Many of the photographs were hand painted with pastel-colored oils. Her photographs were always experiments with nature, such as playing with the wind, using back lighting, and shooting directly into the sun. In the 1970's and early 1980's, she showed her hand painted infrared photographs at the galleries and venues in Sausalito, Chico including multiple one woman shows at the Women's Art Gallery, and at the San Bernardino and Riverside Art Museums. She received top awards for her photography from the Berkeley Camera Club and the Riverside Art Museum, including in a juried show of 35 artists under the age of 35.
In the late 1980's, Suzanne switched to oil paintings. Working with models, Suzanne painted them in clouds and added wings for an angelic effect.
In the mid 1990's Mitsuyo St. Klair, a local abstract artist that had been living in Placerville, California, mentored Suzanne. She chose Mitsuyo as her mentor, as she was taken by how much fun Mitsuyo had while giving a demonstration at the Placerville Arts Association. Suzanne returned to the fun she had with photography, specifically playing with nature.
Suzanne has shown her paintings at Phoenix Art Gallery, Twenty-Twenty Eyes, Hang it Up Gallery, Sacramento Democratic Headquarters, Gallery 48, Synapse Wines, A Well Hung Art Collective, Iron Willow Gallery, the B of A Gallery/Harris Center, Confidence Firehouse Gallery's juried show entitled "A Room of Their Own: Women Artists of the Sierra," PAA Studio Tours, El Dorado Hills Art Association Art Tours, the 2022 - 2024 "Big Names, Small Art" Crocker Museum Auction fundraiser, and a Los Altos home show.
