"Photo Archivist by Day, Artist and Design Maven Always: ABC’s Sueey Gutierrez" | ABC Stone Article

An artist in our midst. Here at ABC Stone we work every day with a wide variety of design professionals whom we assist in the specification and meaningful application of our materials. We collaborate with them on a substantial array of projects of diverse types and sizes, so it is a great boon to us in this pursuit that we harbor in our ranks personnel who are, in their own right, practitioners of the fine arts. We had a chance to sit down with our Materials Photographer + Archivist Sueey Gutierrez, a visual artist with an upcoming Art Show whose closing will be celebrated at Treme in Islip, NY, to discuss her artistic proclivities and origins. 

ABC Stone: When did you first become interested in art?

Sueey Gutierrez: At age three, which is also when I began to create art! I received a scholarship to study at the Brooklyn Museum at the age of six. I would also regularly visit the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens at that time. 

ABC: What do you think gravitated you towards art, and sustained your interest in it?

SG: I didn’t really grow up in the greatest neighborhood in the world, and my parents wanted me to stay away from that environment, so they would take every opportunity to enroll me in arts classes. I found a highly valuable outlet in the freedom of expression afforded me by art. I was an only child, and surrounded by adult all the time, so as I had to entertain myself, creative expression became a means for me to do so. 

ABC: What is your favorite genre or medium of art in which to work?

SG: The media I prefer are usually dry media, so I like to use colored pencils, markers, oil pastels, acrylic markers, charcoal, graphite dust, and graphite pencil. I’ll occasionally do paintings. The genre that I like the most—it runs the gamut. I’m into pinup art. Alberto Vargas is one of my favorite artists. Dali is as well. Frida Kahlo is one of my greatest inspirations. I’m also into neo-classicism, some Dadaist art. I’m also very much into Pre-Columbian art because my family comes from El Salvador and I’m of Mayan descent. And of course, that genre of art is very stone-based. 

ABC: What is your favorite time-period?

SG: Oh wow, that’s a really hard question to answer. I would have to say between the nineteen-twenties and the fifties. I feel that fashion was amazing then, and women were so elegant, and I think all over the world fashion was at its prime. 

ABC: What’s your favorite design aesthetic?

SG: I would have to say an eclectic one. I don’t have a particular style, I create my own. I’m definitely into a bohemian look, as far as interior design goes. I like art deco and art nouveau architecture, gothic architecture,—the idea of mixing elements of these aesthetics together. I also like bright colors. My own apartment is designed in this way. It’s very retro-inspired. Much of my furniture is antique, from the 1800s or early twentieth century, but I also bring back textiles and fabrics when I go to visit family in El Salvador. 

ABC: What are some of your favorite stones and stone applications?

SG: I love all of the semi-precious stones that ABC has to offer: especially the Amethyst, Pyrite, Tiger Eye, and Malachite. The Blue Agate is beautiful. Then we have a granite that’s really stunning, Lemurian, which has elements of labradorite. And we also have Amazonite which has a turquoise appearance to it which I love. I’m very much into earthy, rich jewel-tones. My favorite applications include functional art, for example, we had a tub done in Lilac marble which I thought was stunning. I like book-matched marble, especially on walls, but not so much in commercial spaces, more residences; I think it’s beautiful, an art piece in itself, it needs no additional adornment, it becomes the focus of attention in whatever room it’s in. 

Sueey Gutierrez’s Art Show Closing on Sunday, August 27th from 2PM—5PM, will be hosted by Treme Islip | 533 Main St | Islip, NY | 11751.