Greetings and thanks for your curiosity! My
complete family name is Suzanne Ysabel Sigüenza y Sigüenza Paz Borja. Suzanne Sigüenza for those who know me and
whom I want to keep as friends!! I live in beautiful Maryland with my
photographer husband (who is maternally French/Italian/Algerian, and
paternally American/Scottish and has his own train of names ~ so, we each
kept our own when we eloped ten years ago) and our two amusing parrots: 19
year old Monsieur Raúl Dufy (aka La Mamoushka since we discovered after 13
years that He was a She!) and Mister Mercury Shu (we have lost track of his
age but he is the feathered version of Curious George). We are all
Geminis, and that makes for a completely full and interesting household! My
home studio, SiriusArts Studio, is my haven and joy. It houses works
that range from paintings and drawings to assemblage and jeweled
adornments ~ all depending on what sparks or commissions have
come my way! I have sold my art privately, by word of mouth, to healers
and collectors nationwide. I am also a Yoga teacher, and an avid runner. Wedding Portrait
I was born in El Salvador before the name of this Central American
country became a household word in the USA and well before Pupusas were
available to satisfy my family’s taste for Salvadoran food! As a child, if I
was lucky enough to be left to my own whims and instead of playing like most
nice little girls did, I preferred ~ much to my parents' dismay
~ to run around barefooted and play in the wild fields near our
home trying to catch a glimpse at the children, the chickens, and the little
earthen huts that the people from the barranco lived in. I also loved to
spend hours atop our gigantic mango tree, which bore the most exquisite green
mangos that still make my mouth water at their sourness! Another odd habit I
had as a little girl, was that I loved to climb onto high places… Playing
hide and seek, I would go into my brother’s closet because I could climb all
the way up to the topmost shelves and crunch myself in there until I was
found. Of course, it became easy to find me soon after! I would also love to
scale the walls of our narrow hallway upstairs, and climb right out the
narrow window up near the ceiling, to run around the neighborhood on top of
the red brick tiled roofs. (This was a rather good skill, I thought, as one
time a Frisbee made it up to our roof and I retrieved it for my brother. On
another, not so brilliant excursion, I took my best friend along, only to
climb down some walls and trees to investigate just how hot the chili peppers
that were growing in one garden were. Let us just say it was a blistering
experience for two nine year olds.)
I fantasized about living in the barest of shelters, and swore
that the wild animals that I would see in the hills on our drives to the
countryside, spoke telepathically with me. {Great imagination...
Ahem...} I loved to walk with my father and uncle in the hills where I
could get a glimpse at the "Campesinos" ~ the beautiful folk,
dressed in simple cottons and sporting open sandals on their broad tanned
feet. They lived deep in the jungles that were part of the land of my
father's childhood home ~ hacienda ~ in Armenia. I was and am still
blessed with a very interesting family of dentists, doctors, artists, actors,
writers, musicians, politicians, dreamers and good, good, gooood
storytellers. My favorite aunt, Tía Loly, had giant macaws that screamed out
political statements, macacos (mischievous monkeys) who loved dip their lanky
fingers into the pot of Buñuelos on Sunday’s breakfast table, and big and
small dogs. Sheand my Tío Ramiro also had beautiful tile fountains for
offerings to La Virgen Maria and La Virgen de Guadalupe as well as many other
religious statues throughout their home and gardens. I think she played quite
a role in my taste for the exotic, a deep love for the Goddess, and a general
awareness and appreciation for living beyond the box. My dad opened my eyes
to art images as he would draw funny pictures for us kids in the big
blackboard we had in one of the rooms of our house. As a little girl, I would
also go to church with him (no one else would) and would stare at the reliefs
on the walls of all the stations of the cross, and also the magnificent
colorful statues of the Saints. I didn’t pay much attention to the priest, I
am afraid, but Spirit most definitely did speak to me through the artworks! Coming to the US in the 1970’s was exciting, but shocking all
the same. The lush and exotic landscapes were gone from my immediate
environment of the Suburbs. Where I had nature and the world as my playground
in my past life, here, kids watched TV after school. I tried to fit in, but
still felt happiest in my own world or when my parents or my other favorite
aunt and Godmother, Tía Ella, threw parties. These were so much fun and were
filled with good Salvadoran food, dancing and friends. I remember on more
than one occasion, my Mom’s dancing El Jarabe Tapatillo around a Mexican Hat
thrown on the floor!! Nevertheless, my senses drew inward and I started to
draw more and more, joining my brother and my sister in a rather creative
life. In high school, I began to pursue my investigations in a broad range of interests
I’d had since my earlier childhood. These included my strong energetic
connection with and interest in Native Americans, the amazing power of
nature, metaphysics, shamanism, religions and cultures. As an undergrad I
doubled in Studio Arts and Art History, and minored in Italian. After a year
to work and paint, I was granted a full scholarship and grant to pursue my
MFA in the mid 1980’s. My graduate thesis was a body of works that came
together as an installation that I intuitively called “Journey”. It was
completely based on personal, life transforming, Shamanic experiences and
travels. These were the first really significant pieces of art I ever made. I
have traveled to magnificent places around the world and the people and
magical places I have encountered have blessed me in deep ways as well as
often led to the manifestation of some sort of art in my studio. I have
been fortunate to have met, most serendipitously, several of my many
teachers. Among these, a delightful and very funny Shaman from
South America, a Curandera from Central America, and other powerful teachers
of the Old Ways. Two very special Elders will always be in my
heart and their memory will always help to keep me on the path. I am
also grateful to my yoga teacher in India, who despite her intensity
shows me the softness, kindness, and joy in every human
heart.
We Are All One. That is the most important and
beautiful knowledge. Blessed, Blessed Be!!! |
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My Recent MRI: Revelation
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