Teascarlet brings her art downtown

Hannah Sucsy, who sold her first artwork at age five and adopted the pen name Teascarlet at age 13, short for the "Tears of Scarlet" she shed painstakingly learning the intricacies of using a variety of media, from crayons and markers as a young girl, oh, and nail polish to paint those first rocks she sold at a roadside stand in New Mexico, where she grew up, to charcoal and India ink in her teens, when she began getting commissions. Now she sells her art at her new gallery and studio, "Teascarlet Fine Arts Gallery," which opened at 6389 Kootenai Street in Bonners Ferry April 1.

She'll hold her grand opening from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, April 29, offering refreshments, demonstrations, a raffle for a painting with the winner to be drawn at the end of the day and more. It will be, she said, a high point in a lifelong journey.

Except for a few lessons and pointers from her grandmother when she was a girl and Drawing 1 in college, Teascarlet is self-taught. She largely gave up her artistic muse to raise her family of four, now ages 12 to 19, but threw herself back into and found healing in it after a divorce. She didn't take up painting seriously until about 2017, putting hours and many tears of scarlet into each canvas, tackling everything from florals, trees and clouds to abstracts, each subject and style reflecting the tempest of her moods as she coped and came to terms with her grief.

Her work soon began drawing considerable attention, and before she really knew what was happening, she had a full plate of commissions to keep her busy. It wasn't long before her works were on display in galleries, not only around North Idaho, but in the Monika Olka Gallery in Sag Harbor, New York. She was accepted into her first juried art show, the Hampton Iconic, last summer in East Hampton, New York, and she's now represented by Artio Gallery in Toronto, and her works will be shown this year in Paris, New York City and Barcelona this year.

As heady as all that has been, she said, it pales in comparison to the experience of opening the Teascarlet Fine Arts Gallery.

"Having paintings in galleries in the Hamptons and a showing in Paris are an honor," she said, "but I don't get to connect with the people who see and buy my art. Everyone sees something different in each piece, experiences a different emotion, and that is a very powerful connection. I'm still working to get my work out there, but there's nothing like having a gallery where I can meet and talk with people, see how they react, to be part of the experience."

In addition to making art, Teascarlet also teaches, volunteering regularly at Valley View Elementary, a school with no formal art program, and at the Restorium. And the depths of her artistic aren't confined to paints and pencils and brushes, sticks of chalk and pots of ink ... she is also an accomplished musician, hosting open mic night at the Pearl Theater from 6:30 to 9 p.m. the first Thursday of each month.

She plans to offer classes at Teascarlet Fine Arts Gallery, including evening classes and events, but is still working out the details, finding that fine balance that satisfies her passion to create.

Teascarlet Fine Arts Gallery, offering her original acrylics, prints and commission work, to include murals, is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday. To learn more, visit www.teascarlet.com, follow her on Facebook, call (208) 946-8415 or email teascarlet@gmail.com.