Susie Krichbaum: Creator of the Peculiar

Artist Susie Krichbaum loves to create peculiar creatures with a twist. Not satisfied to create a standard mermaid, Susie sculpted one and gave it anglerfish head. This desire to mix things up is no surprise given Susie’s career history and diverse arts and crafts endeavors.  

Susie started her career as a nurse. After she became a mom, she took a break from nursing to be home with her two kids. During that time, Susie was creating part-time and selling at local craft shows.  

Instead of going back to nursing, she took a position helping in a special education classroom. She fell in love with education and eventually became an office manager at a high school. While working in education, she became a certified yoga instructor.  

Susie loved her job and the people, but it was stressful. Encouragement from a close friend and the support of her husband helped Susie make the decision to resign from the school at do art full-time. Towards the end of her time at the school, creative ideas started to arrive to her more frequently.  

Susie still has a hand in education. She loves being part of the Creative Paperclay Design team. She creates tutorials to help new and experienced sculptors create seasonal projects. 

Susie’s creative outputs are diverse: sculptures, dolls, bags, floorcloths, and more. She’s been told it is better to specialize, but she craves the variety. She is doing what fulfills her right now, and if that stops working, she’ll adapt.  

Jack-o'-lanterns are her favorite Halloween characters to create. She loves to create art dolls that have a sense of movement. Susie has drawn and sculpted mushrooms since she was a child. Some of her mushroom caps look like witch hats. Any witches she creates are friendly and nurturing.  

Susie’s love of Halloween shows up in her travel bucket list. She would love to visit Ireland (her ancestors are Irish), Wales, and Salem. She often listens to Irish music while she is creating.  

Please visit Susie’s web site at: https://www.artbysusiek.com/