When Sue Krzyston and her husband Mike moved into their new house in Phoenix, Arizona, the bare walls were begging to be filled. Having taken a six-month painting class, and at Mike’s suggestion that she replace the starkness of those walls with her own paintings, Krzyston got to work. Soon their new home was filled with colorful creations.

And so it began. Those paintings led to a passionate pursuit of painting, of creating vibrant still lifes that, combined with her love of Native American artifacts, have become a driving force in Krzyston’s life. Her paintings quickly attracted the attention and admiration of collectors who were—and continue to be—captivated by her vibrant works.

Krzyston has been collecting Indian artifacts for 40 years and has accumulated so many of them that friends refer to her home as her “private museum.” Something in those artifacts, she says, “just speaks to me—the designs or the craftsmanship—and I know I want to incorporate them into my art. I am inspired by the beauty and intricacy of the Native American artifacts that I select for my compositions. By using light and shadow to guide the eye through my painting, I try to properly showcase each artifact and their wonderful textures.”

Read the full article in the November/December 2022 issue.

An Intimate Look

Oil
16″ by 20″

“I love the age and character of this wonderful old pot. I wanted to highlight the nicks and rub marks and beauty of the usage it has seen, so I surrounded it with the soft textures and tones of the folded blanket, leather moccasins and slightly illuminated background.”

Infused With Light

Oil
30″ by 24″

“In this painting, I wanted to focus on the beauty of the Santa Clara Pottery and the turquoise moccasins, so I kept the composition simple and surrounded them with the wonderful patterns and rich colors of the Navajo rugs.”