Suzette’s parents moved homes 25 times by the time she was 18. Encouraged by her high school art teacher, Mel Sketzlar, she won a scholarship to, and attended, the Columbus College of Art and Design, in Ohio, studying fine arts, 3-D animation, and color theory. This is the basis for her career working as a master colorist and stylist in hair, being part of the salon which won the Best of Alameda Award in 2018. She opened her own salon, Odelay A Green Salon, in Alameda in 2020.
As a mixed-race adoptee, Suzette spent her early life dealing with not looking like her White Russian and German parents or anyone else in the communities she was moved into. She always felt "othered," and had to learn how to quickly and seamlessly blend in - the necessity of being able to find a place she could fit in so she wasn't left outside and vulnerable. This deeply influences her nuanced approach to portraiture, showing vibrance and joy but also more meaningful things under the surface. Her background in art, community activism, and the “beauty industry” has created a focus on the connection between identity, confidence, and the power of visual storytelling to elevate marginalized people. This inspired our “Modern American Royalty” series, which re-envisions classical portraiture with multicultural subjects, creating portraits that critique the current rigidly-maintained unequal social structure forced upon minorities in the United States.
