Suzy Hunt Gardner

Colorado Springs, CO

(b. 1964, Colorado)

With a whimsical heart, an undying passion for making quality art, unique creations, and an extremely curious bent, I hope you will enjoy what I create as much as I enjoy creating.  My handmade jewelry handcrafted using semi-precious stones, Argentium Sterling Silver (which is a silver and Germanium alloy.  It is extremely tarnish resistant.  No polishing – cool, huh? It may dull over time, but wear it and it sparkles right up.

I love to incorporate fused silver and water casting techniques. Flames and molten metal, what’s not to love?  I purchase my metals from a supplier who uses recycled metals and I love to incorporate found objects.  Coming from a family of miners, I have a commitment to using fair trade stones.  My pieces are individually created, never the same thing twice.

Jewelry is like clothing; it should be comfortable!  I would like every piece of my jewelry to become a beloved heirloom – not because it is too precious to wear and has been sitting in a safe for years, but because it is so enjoyed and worn so often by someone you care about that it becomes part of your memory of a special person. 

A native of Western Colorado, I am the descendant of Colorado Pioneers.  I come from a heritage where “cowboy” is not only a noun, but a verb and a job description.  In cowboy culture, as well as in my Choctaw heritage, nature is respected and nothing is wasted.  I believe deeply in this philosophy.  As the daughter of an artist and in a family of artists and creators, I’ve drawn, colored, cut, pasted, whittled, sculpted, soldered, molded, knotted, painted, and created from whatever was available for as long as I can remember.  I started  making jewelry when I was 10.  A lifelong lover of sparkly things, this is a dangerous pastime for me!

I named my company Dream Follower.  Why?  Our lives get so busy and we hustle just to get through our daily chore list.  I came to a time in my life when I realized that I still had dreams I wanted to follow and needed to prioritize them if they were ever to be.  Hence, Dream Follower.  Follow your Dreams, they know the way.  

I studied Art at Mesa State University in Grand Junction, Colorado, and have continued my studies with different classes; some taught by other artists, some at Bemis School of Art in Colorado Springs and at Ghost Ranch in Abiquiu, New Mexico.