At Age 92, Painter Jack Suzuki Continues to Inspire
A hobby he picked up after the death of his wife, Suzuki’s abstract paintings reveal a hidden talent that has caught the attention of many.
From his pseudo-art studio nested in the kitchen of his Denver, Colorado home, artist Jack Suzuki creates colorfully elaborate abstract works whose originality has caught the attention of many in this community.
It’s a career the 92-year-old began at the young age of 77.
“I didn’t know what a crayola was when I first started,” said Suzuki, whose first task was to go out and buy the painting supplies he would need. “But one thing led to another and it became interesting. I kept going and even today I’m still going.”
Suzuki was introduced to painting after the death of his wife Aiko in 1991. Soon after her passing, his four sons encouraged him to take up a hobby to occupy his time. He decided on painting.
He soon enrolled in the senior program offered at the University of Colorado at Denver and Health Sciences Center’s (UCDHSC) College of Arts & Media. It was the first time he would pick up a paintbrush.
Suzuki began with the basics of the art form but eventually moved onto the abstract painting style, ultimately developing an original style of his own. He credits painters Hans Hoffmann and Wassily Kandinsky as his favorites but emphasizes that his works are not influenced by any particular artist. “I never look at references,” said Suzuki, who does not have a particular strategy or method he relies on for his ideas. “I just sit down and do it. It’s like writing a letter.”
A few years ago, the Auraria Library at the university noticed Suzuki’s paintings and asked to display his works for an Asian arts show the school was holding at the time. The library was so impressed with his paintings that they asked Suzuki if they could permanently display his work. Today over 40 paintings hang on the library walls and Suzuki is constantly adding to the display.
“His work is honest. He has a very spiritual approach to his work. He finds metaphors about life in his paintings,” said Vivian George, a UCDHSC visual arts instructor who has taught Suzuki for the past eight years. “He’s really dogged about his work and it comes across. His work is very genuine and people relate to that.”
Suzuki was born in the small town of Riverside located close to Sacramento, California and attended Fresno State University. During World War II he served in the Military Intelligence Service and ended up in Denver, Colorado after the war, a place he continues to call home.
Suzuki and his wife ran a grocery store for more than four decades but since her death in the early 90s he has devoted his energies full-time to painting. Twice a week he attends art classes at UCDHSC and he spends the rest of his time working on his paintings
On most mornings he sets up his 49-by-60 cm canvas and oil paintings in his kitchen taking only about 10 days to complete each piece of work. He has so many paintings now that he has them in stacks around the house.
Although Suzuki has on occasion given paintings away to family and friends, he has yet to sell a painting, something he says was never his intention. But his family and friends continue to encourage his talent.
“You know how kids are, they never praise anything. But secretly I think they admire my effort,” said Suzuki of his kids. He describes the comments he has received from his friends as “very favorable.”
In addition to Suzuki’s paintings at the Auraria Library, Suzuki has displayed his works at the Denver Press Club and the Courtyard Marriott.
Although many continue to be impressed with the energy and talent Suzuki has shown, he remains humble, reluctant to talk too profusely about his “hobby.”
“I don’t know if I’m an inspiration. It’s just something a guy does,” he said.
“For the other college students he’s a strong presence,” said George. “His fellow students are in awe of him. They have great respect for him.”
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