After operating her automobile into one too many Colorado snowbanks, Susann D’Antonio packed up her belongings and — with younger son Dylan — fled winter and headed for the Florida Keys. And whereas her motive for transferring may be a typical one, her life since arriving within the island chain has been something however.
Since that 1979 relocation, the multitalented D’Antonio has develop into a prolific artist, award-winning costume creator and notable pressure within the native arts neighborhood. In recent times she has added “artwork present organizer” to her roster of credit, efficiently coordinating the 2024 and 2025 editions of the Key West Artwork Heart’s beloved Key West Artwork and Craft Competition.
In the present day D’Antonio’s artistic specializations embody two- and three-dimensional work utilizing encaustic blended media, by which pigmented beeswax is melted and manipulated on a sizzling floor. The wax design is then pressed into paper to create a one-of-a-kind monotype in two and three dimensions. Equally compelling are her multidimensional assemblages, starting from vivid weavings and seedpod creations to whimsical summary figures.
“I’ve by no means been centered on simply wanting to color landscapes, as a result of I’m too excited about too many issues,” stated D’Antonio. “You’re always pulling out of your atmosphere, from new stuff you study, and integrating new issues into your observe.”
Her work might be discovered on the Key West Artwork Heart and Huge Pine Key’s Artists in Paradise gallery. Behind the Huge Pine gallery is the Framing in Paradise store that she owns with husband Bobby D’Antonio, a sculptor and musician.
Susann’s migration from Colorado to the Keys, the place she finally settled in Huge Pine and met Bobby, sparked the beginning of her skilled artwork profession. Her most profitable early creations have been intriguing gourds, colorfully painted, wood-burned and embellished with three-dimensional components.
“I moved away from these as soon as I found encaustic due to the tactile nature of the wax and how one can construct up the layers and the luminosity with it,” D’Antonio stated. “You may carve it, paint with it, collage with it — so many issues you may’t do with conventional portray.”
But it surely was her large-scale “dwelling artwork” costumes, fabricated with Bobby for Key West’s flamboyant Fantasy Fest, that drew probably the most widespread consideration.
For many years, the 10-day Fantasy Fest costuming and masking celebration has provided a showcase for artists’ elaborate costumes, headdresses and floats designed for its masquerade competitions and grand parade.
The D’Antonios’ creations started as easy “pet and particular person” costumes for the annual Fantasy Fest Pet Masquerade. They advanced into elaborate combos of gigantic costumes and small floats that Susann wore and/or propelled every year in the course of the parade — together with a “Ben Her” ensemble by which she was clad as a gladiator in a chariot pulled by 5 seahorses.
Whereas “Ben Her” wowed competition crowds a few years in the past, its female-centric emphasis is echoed in D’Antonio’s present artistic route.
“I actually wish to deal with ladies and paying homage to the ladies who got here earlier than us,” she stated. “I wish to take these abilities that ladies had — hand stitching, weaving — and elevate them.”
Her latest work contains summary feminine figures embellished with mahogany pods and handmade lace from her private assortment, in addition to layered and woven items framed in quilt hoops with pictures crafted from encaustic monoprints.
Some function strategies of a horizon, a component that infuses a lot of her artistry. Seen as a metaphor for what lies past and issues but to come back, the horizon has fascinated her all through her lengthy Keys residence. Her work can be influenced by the distinctive colours of life within the island chain.
“The remainder of the world shouldn’t be as colourful as we’re, and I imply that actually and figuratively, as a result of our lives listed here are filled with coloration,” stated D’Antonio.
Her personal days are a tapestry of colourful components — exploring and refining her artistry; having fun with the blended household of grownup youngsters and three grandchildren she shares with Bobby; strolling “blended breed Key West shelter canine” Bruno; and tending to black cat Serafina, who approached Bobby as a tiny stray kitten and demanded he undertake her.
She’s additionally a longtime board member of the Florida Keys Council of the Arts and Monroe County Artwork in Public Locations, and commonly shows new work in reveals and reveals.
In life as in her artwork, D’Antonio embraces studying and always discovers new passions and instructions. Following a latest class expertise, she began making felt material by hand — chopping it and crafting it into quirky sculpted “homes” that discover the idea of shelter.
Whereas her work has taken many types over time, the underlying response D’Antonio seeks from viewers has remained remarkably fixed.
“They should have a visceral response — to learn their very own expertise into it,” she stated. “Regardless of the picture is, I would like folks to see themselves in it.”