Hey guys!

I have FINALLY come up for air for a moment from the crazy Wedding Season madness of consultations, planning meetings, shooting and editing (which I adore by the way ha ha) to share some EXCITING stuff that I have had simmering behind the scenes.

So ... back in March this year I was contacted by one of the amazingly talented Producers with Houston Public Media (Tomeka Weatherspoon) who discussed a project she was working on which was to film and feature Creative Artists following them through the planning and creation process on a project they were working on.

I had a gallery art show planned for August and had to that point been procrastinating (drowning in wedding goodness) so hadn't created much in the way of new "Art Work". I figured not only was this an amazing opportunity but also a great excuse to light a fire under my butt to get my new series together.

I had a lot of "pretty" and cool ideas that had been swimming around in my head but I had noticed in the past year that much of the work I'd been creating for myself that were purely from my gut without thinking too much had started to take on a slight "dark" feel, even if just noticeable to me. The more I really brainstormed and sketched out concepts, I kept coming back to all these images that were born from some very real and RAW emotions in myself ... Pain, loneliness, abandonment, loss, overwhelming feelings ... I knew what I wanted to do.

We all have our life stories, we all have our wounds and scars, our crosses to bare and demons to let go of ... I find that through my art I can pour that out, I can peek inside myself at that little box we all hide away and seldom open, the place I had stuffed a lifetime of past hurts, failings and fears like that junk drawer that gets so full we have to squish down and "bump" it closed. When doing these pieces I find I can peak in there for just a moment and let out little pieces one at a time in ways that wont overwhelm me. I feel it, I own it, I see it for what it is and I pour it into my work, sometimes making it prettier than what it is, what it was, giving it a new face so it isn't so scary or hurtful anymore - this is my therapy, these are pieces of me.

I am very passionate about helping others through their own struggles and always find that people tend to naturally open up to me, share their hurts and their secrets, maybe they see something in me, maybe they see my unseeable scars the scars I carry on the inside which I guess start to peek through the armor I build around myself, which at times. is busting at the seams. Maybe as an amazing friend recently said to me ... "When you are trapped in a ruined place, it has always been easier to trust the outstretched hand that still bears the scars from their own escape". Maybe through my experiences I can help others cope with theirs ...

I decided I wanted to create my most honest work, to really share these pieces of myself, my vulnerabilities, the pretty, the ugly and everything in between. 
I want for others who need it most to see these images and maybe for a moment feel understood, feel that they are not alone in their dark place and that they are not broken or ruined. Sometimes, the most beautiful things come from the ugliest situations. Mighty trees grow from ashes, flowers from the dirt and rubble and as my husband tells me - even the strongest steel must 1st be weakened and forged in fire to then become strong.

Being so passionate about this, I wanted to create a series and aptly named it "Dark Places".
Darkness can be a physical tangible thing, an emotion, a place or time, even a memory ... and I want to share a little of mine.

After choosing some specific concepts to start with for the filming and then choosing some friends & models I respect greatly, people I felt I could really be vulnerable with, who new much of my story, my pains and who could respect and portray, even RELATE to the pieces I was creating it was time to shoot and film!!!!

I was lucky enough to be able to shoot in the AMAZING Houston Rental Studio which had the perfect esthetics and everything I could possibly need at my finger tips to help bring my images to life. 

So after many tears on the day, after many hours editing and bringing these images to life, many hours of the team at Houston Public Media editing and putting together our journey in film ... our story is ready ... BUT ... I wont show you JUST YET (tease i know!!!)

What is even more exciting than the filming itself, is that it will be airing on local Houston channel - TV 8 this Friday, July 22nd at 8.30pm!!!!

So PLEASE tune in and support these amazing people and I hope you love it as much as we do. A little sneak peek into how I do what I do and the process of creating my Conceptual Portraiture & Art.

When I 1st watched it, I cried like a baby and am so very proud of and grateful to everyone involved in this project. 

I will be sharing some screen shots and some of the images created that day over the next couple of days leading up to the airing of it and then for those that may miss it, I will share a link next week followed by info on the upcoming Gallery Art show which will be showing these images along with many of my other recent images.

Thank you for all your love & support - I hope to make you proud.

Suzy xoxo