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Chatoyance by Martine Suhl

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Martine Suhl's work has been in Barneys, Henri Bendels, Patricia Fields, Saks Fifth Avenue, and Anna Sui's special collection just to name a few. Celebrity clients and fans include Naiomi Campbell, Christy Turlington, Tatum O Neal, KRS ONE and his wife Simone Parker, Bankie Banx amongst many others. Her work has appeared in Vogue, Harpers Bazaar, Essence, Womens Wear Daily and many other publications. Some of her works are in the permanent collections of The American Craft Museum, The Cooper Hewitt Museum and The Smithsonian. She has taught beadwork in Cuba, the USA and her homeland of Anguilla as well as teaching more of a business aspect of how to take traditional work and turn it into a product that will work in todays market, keeping with current fashion trends and colours in several countries in Africa. 

"As an artist I got tired of doing production line jewelry; 'AKA make me a dozen all in black...' I got fed up with being asked for dozens all in black as I am an artist who lives in a world of colours! My work is very inspired by nature, particularly that of my beloved home country of Anguilla both on land and under the sea. I have been drawn to beads since I was a small child. I started selling beaded hair accessories to the kids at school from the 4th grade. The first time I saw African and Amerindian woven beadwork I KNEW that was what I wanted to do. I am self taught as there was nowhere to go learn it. In the 1980's I spent hours in museums studyng the threadpaths of the beadwork and figured it out. I kept building on it and building on it and am still building on it. I tried a few art schools but none of them taught what I wanted to learn and my spirit did not take to metalwork like beadwork."

Martine Suhl has made lines for Anna Sui, Barneys, Henri Bendel and has even done a jewelry runway show for Mary McFadden and many others. She opened her own gallery in Soho NYC called Strictly Solo and Strictly Solo South in her home country of Anguilla.

Suhl's work is a fusion of African and Amerindian techniques combined into a modern style. Inspired by the beauty of nature and Anguilla as well as classic jewelry of all eras and cultures. The pieces are woven of tens of thousands of tiny 1mm glass beads and then adorned with the finest pearls, 24k gold and gem beads and stones available. She has been hunting the globe for the finest stones and beads for 25 years. The pieces take from 40 to well over 100 hours to complete and are all one of a kind. 

Martine specializes in custom work. In particular, intuitive healing transformational amuletic body adornment. She is very intuitive and empathic and has also been studying gemstones and their healing properties from a very young age. The client gets interviewed about their astrology, numerology, favourite colours and most importantly the clients issue(s) and what they want the piece to do for them i.e. protection, peace, etc. She then meditates on the client and picks out the perfect combination of stones and colours in regards to the client and their issue. The birthstone is always incorporated as well as the numerology of the client. Martine also thru her meditation comes up with a special mantra for the client and their issue and the mantra is said on each and every one of tens of thousands of tiny beads that make up each piece. This is her favourite type of work to do. She also does all types of custom work from matching a particular outfit to guitar straps to just about anything that can be done with beads. She has even made hats out of beads! Martine was born to do beadwork and keep an ancient and dying artform alive in this age of mass production and speed. She strives to take the artform to the highest level possible and put healing vibes and beauty out into the world.

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Martine Suhl

Martine Suhl

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